Press Releases

Identifying uncorrected poor vision as a key road safety challenge, Essilor, the world leader in ophthalmic optics, and the Automobile Association (AA) have joined forces to launch a series of initiatives to improve road safety by improving road users’ vision. During the FIA World Conference, held from 29 April to 3 May 2019 at Sun City, The Automobile Association of South Africa, a member of...

The 2019 Automobile Association (AA) Entry-Level Vehicle Safety Report that assesses safety features on entry-level vehicles shows there have been improvements to the safety of entry-level vehicles, but that more can and must be done in this market. This is the third instalment of this report. The 2019 report considered the safety features of 27 vehicles available in South Africa currently...

While the Rand has won ground against the US dollar in July, international oil prices have increased, offsetting the Rand's gains. This is according to the unaudited monthly fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund. The Rand has progressively appreciated against the US dollar since 1 July, dipping below the R14 to the dollar mark. However, international oil prices, which pulled back...

The end of the year may still be six months away but if you are going to be travelling anywhere – either locally or abroad – you should start your planning now. This is the advice of the Automobile Association’s (AA) Travel Department. “Six months may sound like a long time but, in reality, it will go past quickly. If you discover in October or November that some of your preparations are behind...

Don’t become a statistic this Easter. This is our message to you – ahead of the Easter long weekend which starts on Friday (19 April 2019). We are appealing to South Africans to be vigilant, focussed, and aware while on the country’s roads either while walking, cycling, riding a motorcycle or in a vehicle. While this year’s Easter period doesn’t coincide with government school holidays, traffic...

FIA President, Mr Jean Todt (left), and South African Minister of Transport, Dr Blade Nzimande, during the inaugural trip on the autonomous, fully electric Navya Shuttle, demonstrated for the first time at Sun City on Monday, 29 April. The Navya Autonomous Electric Shuttle will allow delegates to commute between the different venues for the duration of the Conference, which ends on 3 May....

Fuel data for May is showing a listless fuel price picture. This is according to the unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund. The overall picture is of little change. The Rand has slipped marginally by thirteen cents against the US dollar since the Department of Energy's surprise early announcement of the May fuel price on Sunday, April 28. The international oil...

2019 will kick off with good news for motorists according to the unaudited month-end fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund, showing a substantial drop across the board. Petrol is showing a reduction of around R1.00 a litre, with diesel down by R1.30 and illuminating paraffin dropping by R1.22. Should this decrease materialise, it will amount to a more than R2 decrease in the fuel...

Further reductions in the fuel price may be on the horizon at the end of January according to the unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund. Although the international price of crude oil has ticked up since its low of 1 January, the overall price is still lower than December's average, and this reflects in the current data. In addition, the Rand/US dollar exchange...

The grim festive season road fatality statistics are a national disaster and a sad indictment of the total disregard road users have for their own and other peoples’ lives on our country’s roads. Preliminary statistics of the festive season road deaths released by Transport Minister Blade Nzimande yesterday (16 January 2019) show that 1 612 people died on South African roads between 1 December...

Petrol up, diesel down in February. This is according to the unaudited month-end fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund. International oil prices have reached a slightly higher plateau after climbing in the first half of January. Over the same period, the Rand has firmed gradually against the US dollar. It began the month at nearly R14.50 to the dollar and is current hovering around...

Older children who have outgrown their child restraint seats, but who are still too small for adult-sized seatbelts in vehicles, still need to be properly secured while travelling, although recent research suggests this isn’t happening. Findings from the Automobile Association’s (AA) Child Safety Seat Survey – conducted last year – also highlight that a quarter of motorists admit to not...