American Automobile Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (September 2007) |
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 |
[edit] 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.
[edit] Current operations
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.
[edit] 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:
- ARC Europe, encompassing the leading European clubs, including the AA and ADAC below.
- The Automobile Association in the United Kingdom.
- The Canadian Automobile Association in Canada (TourBooks and maps of Canadian places are published by AAA, and are distributed by AAA and CAA clubs using both AAA and CAA logos).
- The ADAC in Germany.
[edit] 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:
- Support of Virginia's now-repealed traffic citation tax because of its revenue generation potential.[2][3]
The AAA is a supporter of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, first introduced in 2001 but which has not become law.
[edit] AAA and the environment
[edit] 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."[4] 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."[4] "AAA spokespeople have criticized open-space measures and opposed U.S. EPA restrictions on smog, soot, and tailpipe emissions."[5] "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."[6]
[edit] 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.[7]
[edit] List of AAA regional clubs
| 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: All of 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, Middle and West 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 and City of Norton |
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 Counties Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties 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 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
