Opinion By Masibongwe Sihlahla – The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Amendment Act (Aarto) which was declared valid by the Constitutional Court is a victory not only for the government as some media prefer to refer to it, but also a victory for the public.
We have seen the effectiveness of a centralised education management system for schools which is operated per province but accessible to DBE.
The Population Register database is also centralised and all who have limited access to it or full access can testify to its efficacy. Not only is such a centralised database better managed from a single server but it makes security of the data more easily managed given the sensitivity of the information.
All logins are recorded and authenticated in a very secure process using the latest technology. The SAPS central criminal database as well as its electronic register for all e-dockets has made the management of dockets safer and more effective especially when used in court. No longer do officials run the risk of dockets getting lost. Another case in point is the central arms database managed by SAPS.
I mention these already functioning databases which make for the effective and efficient delivery of services to the public. Because AARTO involves fines and penalties some parties use that as a distraction from the real purpose it endeavours to fulfil and that is the effective and efficient management of road infringements (through the National Contravention Register which is attached to the NaTIS) which will eventually lead to safer roads.
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The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has already gathered data on where are the high risk areas e.g. the stretch from Beaufort West to Laingsburg has been found over many years to be a very (dangerous/hazardous) road and thus there are preventative measures implemented to ensure the safety of road users. AARTO will make the RTIA aware in real time of any trends and thus they will be able to ensure appropriate resources and manpower are directed there.
OUTA is well aware that a number of European counties (such as Norway, Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom etc) do implement a system similar to AARTO which is working fine making the management of road infringements more effective and leading to the speedy removal from the road of those using our road recklessly.
There have been cases of drunk drivers having been fined executing the same offence a week later. With the new system it will make it easier for the RTIA to spot this immediately and take corrective action (through the AARTO process) in order to safeguard the safety of innocent road users.
South Africa has over 15 million road users and a small group is hiding in the crowd be repeated offences with no escalation in penalites occurring. These are irresponsible road users or should be called road abusers (or habitual infringers says the Act) and with the AARTO in place these irresponsible drivers can be brought to book but important the roads can be made safer.
AARTO will not only make the management of road infringements more effective but the ultimate goal is the safety of our citizens on the road. It is not true as OUTA insinuated and blatantly distorted the facts that government wants to use a AARTO as a cash cow.
AARTO is not the outcome of a political decision but a response by management to the increasing number of fatalities on our roads over many years as more and more vehicles come onto our road every year. Government would have been failing in their responsibility if they did not pass this legislation, which is a product of the Department and not the minister or deputy minister responsible for oversight.
It is very sad that there are organisations out there who instead of working with government to improve the safety of road users opt to play politics in order to achieve selfish ends. Fortunately, many in the taxi industry also supports this as nobody in the industry wants to be branded with a bad reputation due to a few rotten apples.
Styles, tastes, designs and systems change over time mostly for the good and greater efficiency and it is no surprise that AARTO is just a natural progression over many years of legislation, some which is no longer effective or relevant. Just as criminal laws are not there to penalise law abiding citizens AARTO is also not there to make life difficult for the road user but for greater safety and effective use of resources.
Our aim is always to get the road user safely home and we mean it in the Department of Transport as well as the ministry and AARTO will go a long way in making that possible. It is not OUTA who must look the families in the eyes when families die in road accidents due to irresponsible drivers.
We cannot allow drivers to get away with repeated offences such as excessive speeding and putting other road users at risk of loss of life. There have been many cases where people got caught speeding and paying the fine was no hardship to them as they possessed the means to pay what to them is a pittance, whilst putting other lives at risk in so doing.
I dream of the day that I do not have to attend a funeral of victims of a road accident. It is an immense burden on the family when a breadwinner passes away. The Department of Transport via the RMIA will be remiss in their duty if they do not do something to the current situation. Madiba did not want any leader the day he leaves office to regret making any decisions which would have benefitted our people.
Our roads are critical in terms of the economic development of our country much in need of jobs and the Dept of Transport having been entrusted by the constitution and the laws of this country to manage the roads of our beautiful country and rainbow nation we need to do it also with the imperative of economic growth so that the dream of Madiba can be realised. We as the Department take our responsibility seriously to ensure safer and well managed roads for the effective haulage of goods as most goods are now hauled via road.
By Masibongwe Sihlahla
Independent Writer
Op-ed contributor
Masibongwe Sihlahla
Independent Writer / Political Analyst
The Views Expressed Here are not those of Central News***
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