The new AARTO road rules will start on December 1 2025. Big cities will use these rules first. Small towns will follow in April. The point system for bad driving will begin in September 2026. Speed is a big issue in these new rules. If you drive too fast you can lose points and your license. You will also need to pay big fines. You still get a small break with speed limits. The rules allow you to go 10km/h over the limit before you get in trouble. This helps with different car speedometers. So in a 60km/h zone you only get fined at 71km/h. You can drive up to 110km/h in a 100 zone and 130km/h in a 120 zone. But there are strict rules for very fast driving. The police will arrest you if you drive 30km/h over the limit in towns or 40km/h over on rural roads. This means you can get arrested for driving 90km/h in town. On rural roads you face arrest at 140km/h and on freeways at 160km/h. You also lose six points from your license.
New Speeding Fine Penalties in South Africa
The AARTO website shows different fines for speeding. If you drive between 71 & 72 km/h in a 60 km/h zone you’ll pay R400.
Going 73 to 74 km/h will cost you R600. Both these fines add one point to your license. Driving at 77 to 78 km/h means a R1000 fine. The fine jumps to R1400 if you drive 79 to 80 km/h.
The biggest fine in this zone is R3200 for speeds between 89 and 90 km/h. On freeways the rules are similar. You’ll pay R400 for driving 131 to 132 km/h. The highest fine is R3200 for speeds between 159 and 160 km/h plus five points on your license.
Understanding the AARTO Points System
The new driving system starts everyone with zero points. You get points when you break road rules. If you get more than 15 points, your license gets taken away for three months for each extra point. This also works the same way for people who drive trucks & buses. If your license gets taken away more than twice, you lose it for good. You’ll need to start over and get a new learner’s license first. The good news is that points go away over time. You lose one point every three months if you drive safely and don’t get new points. The system wants to make small traffic mistakes less serious so courts have less work. Instead of sending court papers for unpaid fines, they will stop people from getting new licenses until they pay. Drivers who pay fines within 32 days only pay half the amount. After that they get a reminder letter and have another 32 days to either fight the fine or say someone else was driving. If nothing happens after 64 days, they can’t renew their license until they fix the problem.
