The Automobile Association (AA) is pleased to notify its Members, corporate customers, and the public that it has resumed full operations in KwaZulu-Natal following the grounding of its fleet in the province last week.

The Automobile Association (AA) calls on South Africans to limit all non-essential travel as road transport comes under pressure from unrest and the spectre of fuel shortages. The Association also warns that unaudited mid-month fuel price data from the Central Energy Fund reflected a risk of substantial fuel price hikes at month-end.

Motorists and other road users in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng are advised to plan their trips with care, avoid areas where civil unrest has been reported, and ensure they have access to security back-up if the need it. The Automobile Association (AA) says it is concerned about the economic impact of recent riots on main roads, at toll plazas, and in certain CBD areas, especially on the road freight sector.

The Automobile Association (AA) is pleased that government has heeded calls to clarify issues relating to the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) but says no real roll-out of the system can occur until the system’s regulations are promulgated.

Users of all grades of fuel will be paying more in July when the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy officially adjusts the prices of fuels later this week. This is according to the Automobile Association, which was commenting on unaudited month-end fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund.

With 1 July now just a day away, details of the planned roll-out of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) are still lacking and it is becoming increasingly urgent for government, and the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA), to inform the public of exactly what the process will be.