The AARTO Amendment Act has been in the pipeline for many years now and it is nearing reality, with a date for implementation set for July 1, 2021.
In effect AARTO is a points system that will penalise drivers and fleet operators for traffic offences by awarding points, depending on the severity of the offence. The accumulation of these demerit points could lead to the suspension or cancellation of an individual’s driving licence.
“In principle this Act is a good idea, road traffic accident statistics reveal that 90% of accidents are preceded by a road traffic offence. The threat of losing your drivers’ licence will hopefully change the culture of reckless driving behaviour,” comments Hein Jordt, MD of Ctrack SA.
However the Act is fraught with a number of administrative pitfalls. For example, the demerit points are allocated to the registered owner of the vehicle. The Act states that the owner must then notify the relevant authorities as to who was driving the vehicle when the law was broken, so that the demerit points are correctly allocated to the offending driver. This presents an administrative nightmare for large fleets, where many vehicles are registered in a single person’s name.
When fines are issued, it will be the responsibility of the fleet manager to transfer the fines to the correct offending driver. This means that it is critically important to keep a log of who is driving vehicles when.
Ctrack offer a variety of technologies for positive and accurate driver identification. These technologies include Dallas iButton keys, RF ID cards and in the near future via biometrics, making it easy to determine which driver was driving what vehicle, in what manner and when. Ctrack also has the ability to link driver’s tags to specific classes of vehicles to ensure that drivers only operate the vehicles they are licensed for. A starter lockout can be installed that will prevent the vehicle being started without the correct authorisation via the driver identification system.
Once the trip is in progress the system monitors all driver infringements, including speed violations, and can report these to the fleet manager.
Should a dispute arise surrounding the use of a vehicle, video footage from the in cabin Iris Dashcam can confirm correct driver identification if need be.
The Ctrack Iris Dashcam is a windscreen-mounted camera that includes ADAS and DSM fatigue functionality with a third wired camera for in cab placement. Connectivity is via 4G, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Footage can be viewed via a desktop platform, web-based platform Android or iOS mobile application or live streaming and includes GPS location and event setup.
“The easiest way to avoid the administration nightmare around traffic fines and AARTO is to avoid getting fines in the first place and Ctrack have a number of solutions that can assist in this regard,” comments Jordt.
The way employees use vehicles has a significant impact on your business. Drivers who breach road regulations risk their own safety, the safety of others, but are also the cause of additional costs for the business such as fuel, maintenance, insurance and even traffic fines if these are not allocated to the individual driver correctly.
A driver losing their licence due to an on-going accumulation of points, will also no longer be able to perform their core job function as a driver.
Ctrack’s driver management tools provide multiple solutions to ensuring that vehicles run effectively, efficiently and safely. The tools also allow for the management of operators, access and behaviour across multiple vehicles and assets.
“The tools that Ctrack already have in place to save business costs on fuel and maintenance by monitoring factors such as driver behaviour, can very easily be utilised to ensure that drivers do not rack up unnecessary fines,” adds Jordt.
As an example Ctrack can monitor speed in a variety of ways, including map speed, a predetermined speed limit on a telemetry device or via a physical speed limiter on the vehicle. If needed, Ctrack SMILE script technology can also adjust a vehicle’s top speed capabilities based on pre-determined Geozones.
The data gathered could be used to upskill operators and educate them on how to avoid attracting traffic offences in future. Direct feedback can be made available to drivers using indicators through Ctrack smartphone applications, vehicle in-cab peripherals or electronic data sets.
