NATIONAL NEWS - Hysteria over the potential loss of drivers’ licences due to non-payment of e-tolls is somewhat misplaced, and South Africans should be much more concerned about other problematic aspects of the controversial Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Amendment Bill.

According to Howard Dembovsky, national chairperson of Justice Project South Africa, news reports that motorists who refuse to pay for electronic tolls would be subject to demerits on their drivers’ licences, and suspension of their licences, are “somewhat of a red herring”.

“The real impact of the Aarto Amendment Bill with respect to e-tolls does not lie in whether a person’s driving licence may or may not be suspended, but actually lies in the amendment which allows the so-called ‘service’ of infringement notices by ‘electronic service’,” Dembovsky told The Citizen.

This, in reference to the provision within the Bill, would allow issuing authorities like Sanral to serve infringement notices to defaulters via e-mail, WhatsApp or even SMS.

The RTIA hope to combine several infringements into a single notice, rather than sending a notice for every specific infringement. What’s more, the Amendment Bill also aims to remove the right of a motorist to be considered innocent of an infringement, before this being proven in court.

The service of infringement notices via electronic means, instead of the required registered mail, would save issuing authorities and the RTIA millions of rand.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen.