Motorists who exceed the speed limit by more than 30 km/h in urban areas and 40 km/h in rural areas could have their licences suspended for at least six months.
Motorists who exceed the speed limit by more than 30 km/h in urban areas and 40 km/h in rural areas could have their licences suspended for at least six months.
This was one of the suggestions made by the parliamentary committee on transport on Wednesday to make the National Road Traffic Act more effective.
reported that other amendments included the long awaited standardisation of traffic fines throughout the country and an increase in spot fines. Traffic officials at the moment can give spot fines of up to R1 500 for any traffic offence, but this could be increased to R12 000.
The committee said it was also looking at the possibility of taking more serious action against drunk drivers by impounding their vehicles.
The committee said the problem of overloaded trucks needed to be addressed and it would like the law to be changed so that not only is the driver of the truck fined, but also the receiver and sender of the goods.
These offenders would have to pay for any damage to the roads caused by the overloaded trucks. The committee recommended that if the fine was not paid within a certain time period the vehicle would be impounded.
Jeremy Cronin, chairman of the committee, commented that another problem was the lack of implementation of the laws and said transport MECs were not doing this effectively. “The devolution of implementing powers to provinces and municipalities is a recipe for disaster,” he said.
The committee also raised the possibility of closing down traffic training schools and sending trainee officials to higher education institutions.
A time frame on the amendments was not given, but CARtoday.com will keep you updated.