60% of traffic fines go astray

Pretoria - "As above" is the address to which thousands of traffic-fine notices issued each month are erroneously sent at a cost of R3m in postage.

This gobsmacking statistic has emerged from a recent metro police chiefs' report on flaws in the Aarto system, as well as from conversations with persons closely involved. Aarto is the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act.

The system, which includes a penalty-points system that could ultimately cost serial road-regulation offenders their driving licences, is to be implemented countrywide next year.

The metro police chiefs say that the eNaTIS system's address list is being used to send notices of traffic fines to vehicle owners by registered post. But at least 60% of these addresses are incorrect.

This has been confirmed by Ranthoko Rakgoale, CEO of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which administers Aarto. Sake24 has discovered that eNaTIS draws its information from forms which first ask motorists to provide residential and then postal addresses.

When completing the postal address field, many motorists write: "As above". This "address" is then captured by eNaTIS.

When traffic-fine notices are generated by the system, the information in the postal-address field is copied to the notice for the Post Office to deliver by registered post.

As a result of this, and other administrative errors, up to 60% of the notices are returned undelivered.

The Post Office is believed to be struggling to handle the volumes of Aarto notices.

Rakgoale said a legislative amendment is planned for next year to permit alternative service suppliers and methods of delivery to be used.

- Sake24.com

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