Government is continuing to mull options for foreign drivers who are not accommodated in the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (Aarto) or the amendment.According to Dr Kaine Monyepao, deputy registrar: strategy development, monitoring and evaluation at the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA), the issue around foreign drivers is a concern that needs to be addressed.Speaking during a recent Transport Forum, Dr Monyepao said the demerit point system would not be applied to these drivers as government could obviously not leverage demerit points on a foreign driver’s licence.“We are engaging with the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA) on the matter,” he said, indicating that the subject had been discussed quite extensively already. Foreign drivers transgressing road regulations in South Africa would be fined. “We can capture infringements of foreign drivers using their particulars if the vehicle is stopped. If it is an electronic infringement then, of course, it is a completely different ball game as we don’t have the driver’s particulars.”He said cross-border operators and drivers from other countries were a point of discussion under the SADC protocol on transport that called on countries in the region to standardise and harmonise safety standards. He said there was also talk of deploying resources at the various border posts to address the issue around traffic regulation and foreign drivers, as well as relying on both internal and inland systems to track whether a foreign driver had been in an accident or incident of any kind.He said the other issue on the table was foreigners working for South African transport companies as drivers and holding them accountable for traffic violations. He advised companies to employ law-abiding and well-trained drivers, regardless of where they came from, saying it was essential that companies were responsible for the calibre of drivers in their employ.According to Dr Monyepao, trucking companies would have to implement an internal control system to deal with Aarto, keeping track of drivers and vehicles, violations and infringements.“Foreign drivers are a big concern for us as this has not been covered in the Act and we therefore do need to amplify our actions in this area. If we look at road fatalities and the statistics, however, then it is clear that foreign drivers contribute minimally to incidents, but that does not mean we must not give attention to the issue.”Dr Monyepao said it was a matter that would require concerted effort to resolve. “We have a very good relationship with SADC. Several countries in SADC are already on the eNatis system and this may very well be where the solution is. It will be easier to harmonise regulatory regimes if we are all on eNatis.”The demerit point system would not be applied to foreign drivers as government could obviously not leverage demerit points on a foreign driver’s licence.– Dr Kaine Monyepao“
