Massive spike in traffic fines in South Africa may be coming – AA

The Automobile Association (AA) said it does not expect the Department of Transport to be caught up with the massive backlog of driver’s licence renewals by 1 April 2022.

Unless minister Fikile Mbalula extends the grace period, or law enforcement finds a suitable way of addressing the issue, the country “may find a massive spike in the number of traffic fines issued to motorists in the next couple of weeks and months,” said the AA.

Additionally, it said insurers may reject claims if motorists were driving with an expired licence at the time of an incident.

“Although those who have applied for new licences are covered through an extension of the validity of their licences, there are still many drivers who have not applied for renewed licences for various reasons beyond their control.”

As such, the AA again calls on minister Mbalula to extend the deadline of the renewal period for expired driver’s licences.

The solution

The AA said the solution to the renewal issues is to further extend the renewal period deadline and to ensure all driver’s licence testing centres (DLTCs) have the required systems to accommodate the backlog.

“Government’s priority should be to provide an environment conducive to renewing these documents, and to provide the necessary backup systems to ensure timely production and delivery.”

“This is currently not the case in the majority of DLTCs and is creating a situation that will, effectively, criminalise those who could not apply for renewals through no fault of their own,” said the AA.

Along with this, government should finalise plans to extend the validity period for driver’s licence cards from five to 10 years as a more long-term solution.

Mbalula indicated in February that research is being conducted into extending the validity periods and the AA said the research should now be completed.

“It’s now incumbent on government to implement this change as a pragmatic way of dealing with driving licence issues now and into the future,” said the association.