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Traffic officers with motorists during a roadblock.
• The RTMC issued a statement in early December threatening motorists for hitting the road with outstanding traffic tickets.
• The AA says the RTMC should immediately retract the statement and apologize to motorists for creating a false impression of the RTMC’s law enforcement capabilities.
• The only time a road user can be stopped at the roadside is if an arrest warrant is issued against their name.
• For more motorsports stories, go to Wheels24.
Earlier this week, the RTMC issued a statement as a warning to motorists hitting the road these holidays and a false threat to citizens. Traffic officials cannot prohibit motorists from driving on the road due to outstanding traffic tickets, or stop them for doing so on the side of the road.
Janine Van der Post of Wheels24 says: “The best thing that motorists can do now is to know their rights on this matter, and the AA explains it very well.
“It is also important to know that if you have an expired driver’s license due to lockout, or if your driver’s license, learner’s license, or PrDP has expired at any time between March 26 and December 30, a fine for an expired license card as your license is considered valid until the end of August 2021. Share this article with your friends and family to find out what the current law is regarding pending traffic tickets. “
Traffic officer
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A press release from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) on pending traffic tickets is outrageous and amounts to generating fear among South African road users.
The Automobile Association (AA) says the RTMC should immediately retract the statement and apologize to motorists for creating a false impression of the RTMC’s law enforcement ability.
In the statement issued on Tuesday (November 8), the RTMC notes: “The RTMC advises all motorists to check for outstanding traffic tickets before embarking on their holiday trips. Traffic officers are being deployed on all routes main, and those with pending traffic fines will not be allowed to continue.
“If law enforcement officers follow this approach, it amounts to an immense abuse of power and the RTMC will be stealing the rights of citizens. It is incredible that a law enforcement organization headed by a Superior Court advocate – can make such an embarrassing statement that it clearly threatens citizens, rather than focusing on how to better enforce the law, “says the AA.
Traffic officer
According to the AA, the statement indirectly says that motorists with outstanding traffic tickets will be arrested, significantly or in violation of South African law.
“The only time a road user can be stopped on the roadside is if an arrest warrant is issued against their Name. Preventing someone from continuing on a trip due to a pending traffic ticket amounts to an arrest without following due process. We cannot emphasize how totally embarrassing and outrageous such a statement is, “says the Association.
Also, says the AA, it is not clear what exactly is a pending traffic ticket.
“Is an outstanding fine a fine issued last week, last month, or yesterday? What if someone received a fine but decided to contest it before paying? Would that amount to an outstanding fine? Again, the enormity of the Legal deficiency in this statement is obvious, and certainly inappropriate for an agency like the RTMC, ”says the AA.
