Press Releases
The Automobile Association (AA) advocates for consumer rights. It also provides useful information to consumers on all aspects of mobility and road use. Read our articles below for more information.
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New Transport appointment: more questions than answers
Last night’s Cabinet reshuffle has left more questions than answers for motorists, who, among other things, are today, left wondering why the former Minister of Transport, Dipou Peters, was replaced, the Automobile Association (AA) said. President Jacob Zuma made a number of significant changes to his Cabinet late last night including replacing Ms Peters with Mr Joe Maswanganyi, who currently...
Time for talking is gone
The increase in road deaths over the 2016/17 festive period is cause for great concern and points to the lack of a proper road safety strategy to deal with the carnage. This is the view of the Automobile Association (AA) which was commenting on the road fatality statistics release by Transport Minister Dipuo Peters in Midrand today. According to the Minister 1714 people died on South African...
Fuel down, but Rand risk looms
Fuel prices for April will be lower than in March, even accounting for the 39 cents a litre rise in fuel taxes which take effect at month-end. (Unaudited month-end fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund.) International petroleum prices continued to ease during March on the back of increased global oil stocks which have mostly blunted OPEC's recent production restrictions. Over the...
Extended drinking hours need to be matched with extended enforcement hours
We have noted reports that the Gauteng Liquor Board has agreed to extend liquor trading hours at the weekend to coincide with the ANC’s 105th anniversary celebrations. Thousands of ANC supporters are expected in the province from Friday to Sunday as part of the festivities. In reports this afternoon, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Mr Lebogang Maile is quoted as saying the event is...
Possible fuel gains wiped out by tax increases
Although fuel prices are predicted to drop in April, most of the benefit of the decreases will be wiped out by the increases to the general fuel, and Road Accident Fund (RAF) levies. (Unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF). The general fuel levy will increase by 30 cents, and the RAF levy by nine cents, on 1 April. Based on the current data, the AA is...
Fuel set to jump on Rand, oil woes
Unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) is forecasting a sharp jump in fuel prices at the end of November. This is according to the Automobile Association, which says that motorists cannot expect much respite from a weakening domestic picture. The Rand is testing one-year lows against the US dollar. In addition, there have been heavy increases in...
Global NCAP and AA South Africa launch #SaferCarsforAfrica
Global NCAP and AA South Africa launch #SaferCarsforAfrica Global NCAP and AA South Africa launch #SaferCarsforAfrica today (22) in Cape Town, with the first independent crash test assessment of some of South Africa’s most popular compact and small cars. The crashworthiness results of the five cars tested show a wide range of safety performance, from four to zero stars for adult protection, with...
Fuel price blues as oil, Rand bite
Sharp movements in international petroleum prices have combined with a weakening Rand to push fuel prices higher for December. This is according to the Automobile Association (AA), commenting on unaudited month-end fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF). Oil has continued the strong run we have seen throughout November and the trend remains upwards. The Rand has followed a...
See and be seen! Daytime running lamps
Visibility is key to reaction time; it is critical to see and be seen. That’s why daytime running lamps are a compulsory standard of so many European countries, and not reliant on a driver’s judgement on when to switch on headlamps in varying light conditions. Daytime running lamps are not compulsory in South Africa. Regulation 161 A (1) states that they may be fitted to any motor vehicle except...
Exhaust smoke – an engine’s distress signal
Diesel or petrol engine exhaust gases should be colorless. Any smoke colour emanating from an exhaust signals that it is not running properly, or even close to mechanical failure. What do exhaust smoke emissions really mean? Black smoke is a sign of engine over-fueling. This can be a malfunctioning injector, a restricted air supply or clogged intercooler. For a sound technical reason, excess...
Change of behaviour needed to curb shocking annual fatality numbers
Since the start of December, road crashes around the country have claimed the lives of many people, including ten people who died when the taxi they were travelling in collided with cows in Mbombela last Friday. The current situation, is untenable, and it urges all motorists to change their behaviour ahead of the expected festive season traffic rush. Every day seems to bring another story of a...
Weather and holidays impact fleet safety
It is that time of the year when road traffic deaths are measured and compared to previous years over the December festive season. However, the annual road traffic crash statistics set an alarming background that cannot be ignored – that latest figures at hand from a 2015 CSIR report indicate that over 1,7 million South Africans are involved in more than 832 thousand road traffic crashes (RTC)...
