New traffic fine system linked to driver IDs in South Africa

South Africans can receive demerit points for traffic violations, even if they do not hold a learner’s or driver’s licence.

Earlier this year, the government launched the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act, which makes significant changes to the way traffic offences are handled.

A key aspect of the new laws is a demerit system where motorists will receive points on their driver’s or learner’s licence for various infringements.

However, individuals can still receive demerit points even if they do not possess a valid licence.

This is according to Driving.co.za managing director Rob Handfield-Jones, who recently told our sister publication MyBroadband that these points will be tied to a person’s identity number and transferred to any licence they may acquire.

The AARTO regulations state that any points incurred by an unlicensed person will be marked against them in the National Road Traffic Offences Register.

“In these cases, points will be marked against their identity number and then be transferred to any licence they subsequently acquire,” Handfield-Jones said.

Demerit points expire at a rate of one every three months; however, this leeway is not afforded to individuals who do not have a licence.

In these cases, the points will only start to disappear once the person receives their driver’s licence. They also do not qualify for traffic fine discounts.

The regulations state that “an infringer who is a South African citizen or permanent resident and who operates a motor vehicle on a public road without a licence shall not be entitled to a discount for an infringement.”

“Any information regarding an offence or infringement shall be recorded directly into the National Contraventions Register or by an electronic file.”

Regarding individuals who receive demerit points on their learner’s licence, these points will carry over to their new driver’s licence, meaning they are not granted a clean slate.

The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) explained that learner drivers who commit traffic offences will not be able to reduce their points until they are issued a driver’s licence.

The demerit point system itself has yet to be implemented, as the AARTO rollout began on 1 July 2026 across 62 of South Africa’s largest municipalities.

The system was supposed to be introduced to the remaining municipalities in the third quarter of 2026, but has yet to take place.

Given that the demerit system is meant to take effect in the fourth quarter of this year, it’s possible that the rollout will be delayed to early 2027.

In any case, once the system goes live, all motorists will start with zero points on their driver’s licence, and accumulate points for various traffic infringements.

The number of points received depends on the severity of the act in question, as minor cases like exceeding the speed limit by 16km/h will incur one point, while driving under the influence will incur six.

The AARTO system imposes a 15-point threshold for motorists. When a person exceeds this limit, their licence will be suspended for a period of three months for every point over the limit.

A licence can only be suspended twice. If an individual exceeds the 15-point threshold for a third time, their licence will be cancelled and they will be required to retake their learner and driver tests once the suspension period is over.