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American Automobile Association

 
Hoover's Profile: American Automobile Association
 
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Contact Information
American Automobile Association
1000 AAA Dr.
Heathrow, FL 32746
FL Tel. 407-444-7000
Fax 407-444-7380

Type: Private - Not-for-Profit
On the web: http://www.aaa.com
 Employees: 850

This isn't your great-grandfather's American Automobile Association (AAA). The not-for-profit organization is best known as providing emergency roadside assistance to its members. AAA has extending its reach into other areas, however, such as offering a variety of financial and travel-arrangement services (foreign currency exchange and travelers checks), as well. The organization offers its members credit cards, insurance, and vehicle financing. AAA operates travel agencies and publishes maps and travel guides, to boot. AAA and its affiliated 70-odd auto clubs maintain about 1,100 facilities to serve more than 50 million members that span the US and Canada. AAA was founded in 1902.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2007:
Sales: $39.5M

Officers:
President and CEO: Robert L. Darbelnet
CFO: John Schaffer
VP and CIO: Satish D. Mahajan

Competitors:
Allstate
American Express
State Farm

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Business Dictionary: American Automobile Association (AAA)
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Association of motorists who can receive maps, tourist information, and emergency roadside service. Many hotels and motels strive for recommendation by the AAA. Also known as Triple A.

 
US History Encyclopedia: American Automobile Association
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American Automobile Association (AAA), a federation of state and local automobile clubs, has been the principal advocate for American motorists since its formation in 1902. Until that time, the automobile club movement in the United States was dominated by the Automobile Club of America (ACA), an elite group of New York City automobilists who organized in 1899 with the intention of exerting national influence. Early clubs in other cities also followed the ACA pattern of restricted memberships, elaborate clubhouse and garage facilities, and an emphasis on social functions—along with making significant efforts to secure improved roads and national regulation of the motor vehicle. AAA, popularly known as Triple A, formed when nine local clubs recognized the need for a national federation to coordinate their efforts on the many matters of concern to motorists that transcended municipal and state boundaries. (Many states, for example, refused to recognize the licenses and registrations of out-of-state motorists, making interstate travel by automobile difficult.) By its 1909 annual meeting, AAA represented thirty state associations with 225 affiliated clubs and claimed 25,759 members.

With the burgeoning use of the automobile after 1910, the clubs constituting AAA increasingly became mass membership organizations, offering special services to members in addition to concerning themselves with the wide range of matters affecting all motorists. The Automobile Club of Missouri inaugurated emergency road service for its members in 1915, a service soon offered by all AAA clubs. Reflecting the increasing popularity of "motor touring" of the time, AAA issued its first domestic tour book in 1917 and in 1926 published its first series of tour books, issued the first modern-style AAA road maps, and began rating tourist accommodations.

The club has been active in lobbying for motorist-friendly road facilities from its inception. From the 1916 Federal Aid Highway Act through the Interstate Highway Act of 1956, to the present, AAA has pushed hard for toll-free improved highways and for highway beautification programs. It has also been a vocal critic of national highway policy at times, arguing against the diversion of motor-vehicle-use taxes into nonhighway expenditures.

Over the years, AAA has been one of the nation's leading advocates of highway safety. In the 1930s it published Sportsmanlike Driving, a forerunner of modern driver-safety textbooks, and helped pioneer traffic safety education classes in elementary and junior high schools. In 1955, AAA discontinued its long-standing sanction and supervision of all automobile racing as being inconsistent with the organization's many highway safety activities. During the late twentieth century, it devoted significant resources to a campaign against drunk driving.

In 1972, AAA had 875 clubs and branches throughout the United States and Canada, and membership passed the 15 million mark. By 2002 the organization had some 35 million members, and its emergency road service program required contracts with nearly 13,000 local providers.

—James J. Flink/C. W.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: American Automobile Association
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American Automobile Association (AAA), federation of American automobile clubs, est. 1902. AAA provides a number of benefits to its members, including emergency road service; national and international travel assistance, e.g., state maps, guidebooks, and trip routing; financial and credit services; and automobile, life, and other insurance. Headquartered in Heathrow, Fla., the organization also lobbies for improved highways and for sensible, uniform laws and taxation relating to motor vehicles. In the early 2000s AAA had a membership of more than four million.

 
Wikipedia: American Automobile Association
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 Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (September 2007)
The AAA logo

The AAA (pronounced "triple-A"), formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a 50 million member North American not-for-profit automobile lobby group, service organization, and seller of vehicle insurance. Its national headquarters are in Heathrow, Florida.

Contents

History

The American Automobile Association was founded on March 4, 1902, in Chicago, Illinois as a response to a lack of roads and highways suitable for automobiles. The organization originally had 1000 charter members, generally auto enthusiasts. AAA’s membership base is and was formed from 9 local and regional motor clubs that combined to create a more powerful organization.

The association expanded its services over the years. The first AAA road maps were published in 1905, and AAA began printing hotel guides in 1917. AAA began its School Safety Patrol Program in 1920, and many driver safety programs followed in the decades to come. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which conducts studies on motorist safety, was established as a separate entity in 1947.

AAA was a sanctioning organization for auto racing in the United States until 1956. It sanctioned many races, including the Indianapolis 500. After the 1955 Le Mans disaster, AAA decided that auto racing distracted from its primary goals, and the United States Automobile Club was formed to take over the race sanctioning/officiating.

Current operations

A typical AAA office
A typical AAA Car Care Plus center

Members belong to one of 69 individual clubs (such as AAA Northwest Ohio, AAA Mid-Atlantic, AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, the Automobile Club of Southern California, AAA Oregon/Idaho, or Auto Club South, for example), and the clubs in turn own AAA. The member clubs have arranged a reciprocal service system so that members of any participating club are able to receive member services from any other affiliate club. Member dues finance all club services as well as the operations of the national organization.

From the standpoint of the consumer, AAA clubs primarily provide emergency road services to members. These services, which include everything from lockouts, winching, tire changes, automotive first aid, and towing, are handled by private local towing companies contracted by a state AAA club. Many AAA clubs have an automotive fleet division serving large metro areas, while private towing companies cover the surplus call volume by area. Recently, certain clubs have implemented an "on the go" diagnostic/installation automotive battery program, which offers members an additional service to an ever more demanding commute. This is part of AAA's vision for the future of automotive services, termed "Go, not Tow".

Clubs also distribute road maps and travel publications (TourBooks), and rate restaurants and hotels according to a "diamond" scale (one to five). The best hotels and restaurants according to AAA's criteria receive the Five Diamond Award. Many offices sell automobile liability insurance, provide travel agency, auto-registration and notary services. Maps, TourBooks, and travel agent services are generally free to members. AAA also offers member discounts at places like Payless ShoeSource and LensCrafters, and in some regions Burger King, Pizza Hut and Arby's through its "Show Your Card & Save" program.

International affiliates

The AAA has reciprocal arrangements with a range of international affiliates. In general, members of affiliates are offered the same benefits as members of the AAA while traveling in the United States, while AAA members are offered equivalent benefits while traveling in the territory of the affiliate.

International affiliates include:

AAA and motorist rights

The AAA has a mixed record with its support of motorist rights.

The AAA is known for occasional high profile motorist advisories of unreasonable traffic enforcement, such as when it rented a billboard to warn motorists of the speed trap town of Lawtey, Fl.[1]

However, the AAA has taken positions contrary to motorist rights. Prominent examples include:

The AAA is a supporter of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, first introduced in 2001 but which has not become law.

AAA and the environment

Criticism

AAA's lobbying positions are perceived by some as hostile to mass transit and environmental interests.

Daniel Becker, director of Sierra Club's global warming and energy program, described AAA as "a lobbyist for more roads, more pollution, and more gas guzzling."[5] He observed that among other lobbying activities, AAA issued a press release critical of the Clean Air Act, stating that it would "threaten the personal mobility of millions of Americans and jeopardize needed funds for new highway construction and safety improvements."[5] "AAA spokespeople have criticized open-space measures and opposed U.S. EPA restrictions on smog, soot, and tailpipe emissions."[6] "The club spent years battling stricter vehicle-emissions standards in Maryland, whose air, because of emissions and pollution from states upwind, is among the nation's worst."[7]

Response

In response to these concerns, several competing organizations have emerged, including Better World Club. These organizations generally provide similar roadside assistance, trip planning and other services, in an environmentally friendly manner. This includes discounts for fuel-efficient vehicles and donations to environmental organizations.

Also as a response to the critics, the California State Automobile Association, a branch of AAA, set up a booth at the San Francisco International Auto Show to raise awareness regarding plug-in hybrid vehicles.[8]

List of AAA regional clubs

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Club Headquarters Territory Website
AAA Northern New England Portland, Maine Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont www.aaanne.com
AAA Southern New England Providence, Rhode Island Rhode Island: all
Connecticut: New Haven, Fairfield and Litchfield counties
Massachusetts: Bristol, Middlesex, Worcester, Berkshire, Plymouth, Suffolk, Barnstable, and Norfolk counties		 www.aaa.com/aaa/240/sne
AAA Allied Group (Greater Hartford Area) West Hartford, Connecticut Connecticut: Hartford, Middlesex, New London, Tolland and Windham counties www.aaahartford.com
AAA Pioneer Valley West Springfield, Massachusetts Massachusetts: Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties www.aaa.com/aaa/045/pioneer
AAA Merrimack Valley Lawrence, Massachusetts Eastern Massachusetts, and Salem, New Hampshire www.aaa.com/aaa/042/merrimack
AAA Berkshire County Pittsfield, Massachusetts
AAA Hudson Valley Albany, New York New York state: Albany County, Villages of Waterford and Stillwater, City of Mechanicville in Saratoga County and all of Rensselaer, Greene and Columbia Counties www.aaahv.com
AAA Northway Schenectady, New York New York state: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties www.aaa.com
AAA Western and Central New York Buffalo, New York New York state: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Cortland, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, St. Lawrence, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates Counties www.nyaaa.com
AAA Southern New York Binghamton, New York
AAA New York Garden City, New York New York state: Long Island, the five boroughs of New York City, and Westchester, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie and Herkimer counties, and parts of Lewis, Madison and Oneida counties www.aaa.com
AAA North Jersey Wayne, New Jersey New Jersey: Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties www.aaa.com
New Jersey Automobile Club Florham Park, New Jersey New Jersey: Essex, Morris and Union counties www.aaa.com
AAA South Jersey Voorhees, New Jersey www.aaasj.com
East Penn Region of AAA East Central Allentown, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: Lehigh county, and parts of Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Montgomery and Northampton counties www.aaaeastpenn.com
AAA Northampton County Easton, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: Greater Easton area, the eastern municipalities and townships (Bethlehem, Bushkill, Forks, Lower and Upper Nazareth, Lower and Upper Mt. Bethel, Lower Saucon, Moore, and Williams) in Northampton county, and northeastern Bucks county www.aaa.com
AAA Reading-Berks Reading, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: Berks county www.aaa.com
AAA North Penn Scranton, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: Lackawanna, Monroe, Lycoming, Wayne, Bradford, Susquehanna, Pike, Tioga, Wyoming, Potter and Sullivan counties www.aaa.com
AAA Central Penn Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, and Perry counties www.aaa.com/aaa/195/web
AAA Susquehanna Valley Sunbury, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: Northumberland, Union and Snyder counties, except West Beaver township and McClure www.aaa.com
AAA Southern Pennsylvania York, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: York, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Clearfield, Cambria, Clinton, Centre, northern Somerset and western Cumberland counties http://www.aaa.com/aaa/238/reed
AAA Schuylkill County Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania: Schuylkill county www.aaa.com
AAA Mid-Atlantic Wilmington, Delaware Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., and parts of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey www.aaamidatlantic.com
AAA Tidewater Virginia Virginia Beach, Virginia www.aaatidewaterva.com
AAA Carolinas Charlotte, North Carolina North Carolina and South Carolina www.aaacarolinas.com
Auto Club South Tampa, Florida Florida, Georgia, central and western Tennessee, and Puerto Rico www.aaasouth.com
AAA Alabama Birmingham, Alabama Alabama www.aaa.com
AAA East Tennessee Knoxville, Tennesee Tennessee: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union and Washington Counties www.aaaet.com
AAA Allied Group (Bluefield Region) West Virginia: McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Summers, Wyoming counties
Virginia: Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Giles, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, Wise counties		 www.aaabluegrass.com
AAA Allied Group (Bluegrass Region) Kentucky: Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Carter, Clark, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Garrard, Greenup, Harlan, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Scott, Whitley, Wolfe, Woodford counties www.aaabluegrass.com
AAA Allied Group (Southern West Virginia) West Virginia: Boone, Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Nicholas and Raleigh counties www.aaaswva.com
AAA East Central Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Parts of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia www.aaacentral.com
Akron Auto Club Akron, Ohio Ohio: Summit county www.aaa.com
Ohio Auto Club Ohio: Allen, Auglaize, Belmont, Butler, Carroll, Coshocton, Crawford, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Franklin, Guernsey, Hardin, Harrison, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, , Marion, Medina, Mercer, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Perry, Pickaway, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Union, Van Wert, Wayne, Wyandot counties www.aaaohio.com
AAA Allied Group (Cincinnati Tri-State Area) Ohio: Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties
Kentucky: Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Fleming, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson and Rowan counties
Indiana: Dearborn, Franklin, Jefferson, Ohio, Ripley and Switzerland counties		 www.aaacincinnati.com
AAA Allied Group (Miami County, Ohio) Ohio: Miami county www.aaamiamicounty.com
Findlay Automobile Club Findlay, Ohio www.aaa.com
AAA Northwest Ohio Toledo, Ohio Ohio: Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Defiance, Paulding, Williams, Fulton and Henry counties www.aaanwohio.com
AAA Michigan Dearborn, Michigan www.aaamich.com
Hoosier Motor Club Indianapolis, Indiana Indiana: Bartholomew, Benton, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Floyd, Fountain, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Orange, Owen, Parke, Pulaski, Putnam, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Starke, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, Washington and Wayne counties www.aaahoosier.com
Chicago Motor Club Aurora, Illinois www.aaachicago.com
AAA Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin [www.aaawisconsin.com
AAA Minnesota/Iowa Burnsville, Minnesota
AAA Minneapolis Minneapolis, Minnesota www.aaaminneapolis.com
AAA Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska www.aaane.com
AAA Missouri St. Louis, Missouri Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
Kansas: Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Johnson and Wyandotte counties
Illinois: Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jersey, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Clair, Saline, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White and Williamson
Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick
Texarkana, Texas		 www.ouraaa.com
AAA Allied Group (Kansas) Kansas, except Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Johnson and Wyandotte counties www.aaakansas.com
AAA South Dakota South Dakota www.aaasouthdakota.com
AAA North Dakota
AAA Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma www.aaaoklahoma.com
AAA Texas Texas, except Texarkana www.aaa-texas.com
California State Automobile Association Northern California, Nevada and Utah www.csaa.com
Automobile Club of Southern California Costa Mesa, California California: Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties www.aaa-calif.com
AAA New Mexico New Mexico www.aaa-newmexico.com
AAA Colorado Denver, Colorado Colorado www.aaacolorado.com
AAA MountainWest Alaska, Montana, Wyoming www.aaamtw.com
AAA Oregon/Idaho Portland, Oregon Oregon and southern Idaho www.aaaorid.com
AAA Washington Bellevue, Washington Washington and northern Idaho www.aaawa.com
AAA Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii www.aaa-hawaii.com

See also

References

  1. ^ Meenan, Kyle (2005). "Billboard Wars Over Lawtey As A 'Speed Trap'". First Coast News. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=32199. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  2. ^ Grimes, Paul (1982-12-26). "Practical Traveler: the 55-m.p.h. Speed Limit". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9B07E2D81738F935A15751C1A964948260&scp=4. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  3. ^ Fisher, Marc (2007-08-26). "Rage Over Driver Fees Has Va. Legislators Asking, 'Huh?'". The Washington Post: p. C01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082501223.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  4. ^ Rogalsky, Joe (2007-12-26). "Va. lawmakers seek stiffer penalties, arrests, prison for unlicensed drivers". The Examiner (Denver, Colorado). http://www.examiner.com/a-1123499~Va__lawmakers_seek_stiffer_penalties__arrests__prison_for_unlicensed_drivers.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  5. ^ a b Rivlin, Michael A. (Winter 2001). "The Secret Life of AAA". The Amicus Journal. http://www.transalt.org/files/newsroom/media/2001/010101amicus.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  6. ^ Nijhuis, Michelle (2003-02-11). "Road Warriors: A travel club provides a greener alternative to AAA". Grist Magazine. http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2003/02/11/warriors/. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  7. ^ Silverstein, Ken (May 2002). "Smitten with a Club - Your AAA dues fuel pollution and sprawl". Harper's Magazine. http://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/Harpers2002may.htm. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 
  8. ^ CalCars (2005-11-04). AAA showcases CalCars at SF Intl Auto Show Nov. 19-26. Press release. http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/190.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-16. 

External links

  • AAA.com AAA's official Web site
  • AAA.mobi AAA's official Mobile site
  • Your AAA Use this page (enter a ZIP code) to get to the AAA Club for the area you are interested in

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Hoover's Profile. ©2008 Hoover's, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Business Dictionary. Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
US History Encyclopedia. © 2006 through a partnership of Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "American Automobile Association".  Read more

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