The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) is South Africa’s system for managing traffic fines and driver behaviour.
It introduces a national demerit points system, meaning each infringement can now affect your driving license status. Trafico helps you stay ahead of these changes; monitoring fines, tracking points (when in effect), and ensuring you remain compliant.
The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) is South Africa’s national framework for managing traffic infringements.
It’s set to replace the Criminal Procedure Act for road traffic offences, introducing a unified national system aimed at regulating driver behaviour and promoting compliance with road safety laws.
AARTO changes how fines and offences are handled; linking each infringement directly to a driver or vehicle operator.
For individuals, it means every fine impacts your personal record. For businesses and fleets, it ensures accountability across every registered driver and vehicle.
The AARTO demerit system assigns points for each traffic offence.
As points build up, they can lead to license suspension or even cancellation for repeat offenders.
Trafico helps you track and manage these points, keeping you compliant and protected.
1 July 2026
The first rollout phase begins across 69 municipalities, including major metros and local authorities. These areas will adopt the AARTO infringement system; allowing drivers to receive electronic notices, nominate drivers, and manage fines under the new framework.
Date to be confirmed
The second phase expands AARTO implementation to 144 additional municipalities, unifying fine management and infringement handling across the country. This phase standardises systems for individuals and fleet operators alike.
Date to be confirmed
The national demerit point system becomes fully active. Drivers and operators will now accumulate points based on infringements; with suspensions or cancellations possible after repeated offences.
*Source: Government Gazette, Aug 2025
years keeping drivers street-smart
clients on the right
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vehicles managed
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saved for our clients
(to date)
AARTO is being rolled out in phases across South Africa.
The first phase, covering 69 municipalities, will go live on 1 July 2026.
The rollout to the remaining municipalities and the implementation of the full demerit points system will follow at a later date.
If a driver accumulates 15 or more demerit points, their licence will be suspended for three months. Each additional point adds another three months of suspension.
For every 3 months that no new point is allocated, one existing point will be removed.
After three suspensions, the licence may be cancelled entirely.
You can check your fines online through the Trafico platform; simply log in to view your outstanding fines, points, and enforcement orders in one place.
You can also verify them via the official AARTO or RTIA portal, but Trafico makes the process faster and clearer with automatic updates and consolidated records.
Yes. The Constitutional Court upheld the AARTO Act in July 2023, confirming that the system is lawful and may be implemented nationwide.
The ruling ensures that AARTO will now proceed according to the national rollout plan.
Trafico helps individuals and businesses stay AARTO-ready.
You can track fines, monitor demerit points, and receive automatic notifications; all through your Trafico account.
Our platform keeps you compliant, informed, and protected before the new laws take full effect.
