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Question: May you kindly clarify this for me. If the court fines you R2000 for driving under influence of alcohol, doe’s it mean you have a criminal record? Thank you for always assisting. Kind regards Mpho Answer: Sorry to have to be the bearer of sad news but yes you do have a criminal record. Also view: The consequences of drunk driving and unlicensed ...

Question: I would like to know whether my daughter who holds a New Zealand Learner’s Licence can drive in South Africa under the South African Learner’s Licence rules? Answer: In terms of section 23 of NRTA, a provisional drivers license is valid as long as all of the other requirements are complied with. See section 23 and reg ...

Question: If a vehicle is overloaded and pull off at the weight bridge. Are they allowed to confiscate the vehicle what is the rules and how do I protect myself if ever I am in a situation of being overloaded for example by 2 to 3 tons? Answer: Yes, if a vehicle is overloaded it must be contained ...

Question: I would like to know whether it is legal for the traffic department to fine you twice for the same time and event? One fine being from a speeding camera and the other being from a traffic cop? Which one am I legally bound to pay?   02-4052-001623497-2 was captured at 12:29:24 at a speed reading of 76km/h and ...

Question: I am writing my Heavy Vehicle Learners, There is no information on the rules of the road for these vehicles. Please can you help me obtain this information? Answer: The learner’s licence material for heavy vehicles is included in the Learner’s Licence Study Manual on the Topscore CD. It is not in a separate ‘manual’ or section, ...

Question: I would like to check on what my demerit points history is..please advise on how I can do this? Answer: This serves as a quick note to inform you that the points-demerit system (Section 24 of the AARTO Act) is NOT yet in force and therefore, it is unlikely that you will  be able to check your ...

Confidence in sales activity for new cars among South Africa’s automotive dealers declined dramatically during the third quarter of 2013. This is according to results from the latest WesBank Vehicle sales Confidence Indicator (WVsCI)* for the third quarter of 2013, which showed that dealer confidence declined the most in one single movement since the Indicator ...

Question: Where can I review the calibration history of a speed measuring camera? Is this information open to the general public? Answer: In terms of the TCSP Guidelines, you have the right to demand to see the calibration certificate of any speed measuring equipment which has been used to acquire a speed reading of your vehicle.  You can request ...

Finance providers need to address the unique challenges of the growing SME market in order to help keep South Africa’s economy growing. As a critical contributor to the country’s annual GDP and job creation, this sector is the largest by number of customers and covers a widespread geographical area, according to Gerald Burton, General Manager ...

Question: Good day. Perhaps you can provide me with some guidance. I stay in a complex and there are numerous vehicles with expired licence discs. These people happily take to our roads with these vehicles and are obviously in contravention of the law. I have taken this up with our body corporate and they are reluctant to ...

Buying a car on residual or with a balloon payment may seem like an affordable way to finance your vehicle, but it’s important that you understand all the implications of the deal. Many car dealerships offer cars on residual, with monthly payments that sound too good to be true given the make and model of the ...

Question: Hello, I am a visitor from the U.S. and I was wondering if my valid US driver’s licence allows me to drive a motorcycle or scooter while I am visiting South Africa? Answer: In response to your question about “Foreign visitor motorbike driving”, here is what our law states:   First let me say this: The foreign license you ...

The Arrive Alive received the following email: “I would just like to make sure that the trip we’re about to take in September is safe…We are 3 bikers and 1 4×4 going into Lesotho to Katse Dam and staying at the Katse Guest houses for 3 nights. Is it safe to travel into Lesotho these days, ...

The Arrive Alive website received an interesting email from DirectAxis relating to transportation costs and fuel. We would like to quote: “We noticed that you’ve been writing about the petrol price hike and thought you might be interested in the following infographic that illustrates the various elements that contribute towards the cost of a litre (as ...

Chrysler announced on Wednesday it was recalling about 490,000 cars and sport-utility vehicles worldwide to fix a glitch on automatic head restraints. The US automaker said there were potentially faulty microcontrollers installed in certain vehicles that may prevent head restraints from automatically moving forward during some kinds of rear-impact collisions. The recall affects 2011-2013 Chrysler Sebring, 200 ...

Insurance Industry and its customers to be negatively affected by the proposed change regarding the use of second hand vehicle parts “The proposed regulation that the parts of a Code 4 vehicle may not be used to build or repair other motor vehicles, will have severe unintended consequences to both the insurance industry and its customers,” ...

Toyota Racing achieved an emotional runners-up finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours after a rollercoaster race which saw drivers and team overcome immense challenges. The #8 TS030 HYBRID of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin finished second while the #7 of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima completed a satisfying week for the ...

Question: I would like to have some clarity on the difference between a Code B Driver’s Licence and a EB Driver’s Licence. Is it correct that the basic “B” license only allows a motorist to tow a light luggage trailer weighing less than 750 kilograms (fully laden), but if you want to tow a caravan or braked trailer, say, ...

Many people have asked how many cars, taxis, trucks and other vehicle do we have on the roads of South Africa? This is not as easy a question as we might think – there are many non-registered vehicles on the roads – and many vehicles that are registered never go onto the roads! We can ...

Innovative short-term insurer MiWay has made its claims process even more user-friendly with the launch of the AutoWatch system from Audatex. The service improves communication between panel beaters and MiWay customers, keeping customers informed, in real-time, on the progress of their car repairs. “Accidents happen and are very often a stressful time,” says Max Huggins, head ...