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The AAA logo

The AAA (usually read triple-A, or sometimes three As), formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is an American not-for-profit automobile lobby group and service organization, with their national headquarters based in Heathrow, Florida. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... Car redirects here. ... Lobbying in the United States targets the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures. ... A Service club is a type of voluntary organization where members meet regularly for social outings and to perform charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organisations. ... Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are concentrated. ... Heathrow is a census-designated place and anarea located in Seminole County, Florida. ...

History

The American Automobile Association was founded on March 4, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio as a response to a lack of roads and highways suitable for autos. The organization originally had 1000 charter members, and these original members were generally of an auto enthusiast demographic. AAA’s membership base is and was formed from a number of local and regional motor clubs, and these auto clubs combined forces to create a more powerful organization. is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Cleveland redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Motor clubs are organizations, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers, vehicle owners) can join to enjoy certain benefits provided by the club relating to driving a vehicle. ...

The association expanded its scope of services as years progressed. 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 a large volume of studies regarding motorist safety, was established as separate entity in 1947. For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Passive safety redirects here. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

AAA was a sanctioning organization for automobile racing in the United States until 1956. It sanctioned many races, including the Indianapolis 500. After the Le Mans 1955 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. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Indy 500” redirects here. ... 1952 Le Mans race, depicted on cover of Auto Sport Review magazine The 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 heures du Mans) is the worlds most famous sports car endurance race, held annually at Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France, in the French Sarthe département. ... USAC Logo The United States Automobile Club (USAC) is an open-wheel auto racing sanctioning body. ...

Current operations

A typical AAA office

A typical AAA Car Care Plus center

Members belong to an individual club (such as AAA Mid-Atlantic, the California State Automobile Association, 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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (700x650, 132 KB) Summary Exterior view of an American Automobile Association office in Walnut Creek, California. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (700x650, 132 KB) Summary Exterior view of an American Automobile Association office in Walnut Creek, California. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 583 pixelsFull resolution (1244 × 906 pixel, file size: 221 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) An AAA Car Care Plus center in Santa Clara, California operated by the California State Automobile Association, the regional affiliate of the American Automobile Association. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 583 pixelsFull resolution (1244 × 906 pixel, file size: 221 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) An AAA Car Care Plus center in Santa Clara, California operated by the California State Automobile Association, the regional affiliate of the American Automobile Association. ... Counties covered by the Automobile Club of Southern California (red) and California State Automobile Association (blue) The California State Automobile Association is a motor club dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. ...

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, 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. AAA also offers member discounts at over 100 partners including many hotels, Amtrak, Hertz rental cars, Jiffy Lube, LensCrafters, and Payless ShoeSource through its "Show Your Card & Save" program. Emergency road service (also called roadside assistance or onroad assistance) is provided by many motor clubs and vehicle insurances to their members. ... Towing is the process of pulling or drawing behind a chain or line. ... The Five Diamond award is an award given by AAA to hotels and resorts that have very high ratings in costumer satisfaction, service, facilities, food, accommodations, and activities. ... The high-speed Acela Express in West Windsor, New Jersey. ... This article is about the SI unit of frequency. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... LensCrafters is North Americas largest retailer of prescription eyewear, as well as non-prescription sunglasses. ... Payless ShoeSource is a discount footwear retailer that was founded in 1956 in Topeka, Kansas. ...

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, whilst AAA members are offered equivalent benefits whilst traveling in the territory of the affiliate.

International affiliates include:

• 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.

The Automobile Association (The AA) is a former British motoring association that became a private limited company in 1999, currently owned by two large private equity firms. ... The Canadian Automobile Association (or CAA) is affiliated with the American Automobile Association. ... ADAC (German: ) is Germanys largest automobile club with 15. ...

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."^[1] 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."^[1] "AAA spokespeople have criticized open-space measures and opposed U.S. EPA restrictions on smog, soot, and tailpipe emissions."^[2] "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."^[3]

In response to these perceptions, several competing organizations have emerged, including Better World Club. These organizations generally provide similar roadside assistance, but without the lobbying activity. The Better World Club provides services to motorists in the USA, and supports organizations seeking to reduce the environmental damage done by automobiles. ...

See also

• Maps of the United States
• AAA Travel High School Challenge

United States of America This is a gallery of maps with a short explanation of each map. ... The AAA Travel High School Challenge (sometimes shortened to AAA Travel Challenge) is an annual travel-themed scholarship competition run by the American Automobile Association, open to students in grades 9-12 in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. ...

References

External links

• AAA.com AAA's official Web site
• AAA.mobi AAA's official Mobile site
• AAA's Five Diamond Restaurants (Word File)
• AAA's Five Diamond Hotels (Word File)
• AAA's Public Service Web site
• AAA's Media Resource
• AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report