American Automobile Association#Rating system

The American Automobile Association (AAA) was founded on March 4, 1902, in Chicago, Illinois, in response to a lack of roads and highways suitable for automobiles."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/813611684/ Automobile Men Organize]". Minneapolis Daily Times. March 5, 1902. p. 6.{{cite web |title=AAA to Celebrate 100 Years With Special Offerings to Members |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/01/14/034524.html |publisher=TheAutoChannel.com |access-date=September 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813102052/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/01/14/034524.html |archive-date=August 13, 2012 |url-status=live }} At that time, nine motor clubs with a total of 1,500 members banded together to form the AAA. Those individual motor clubs included the Chicago Automobile Club, Automobile Club of America, Automobile Club of New Jersey, and others.{{cite encyclopedia |title=American Automobile Association |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401800150.html |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=September 10, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101017044020/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401800150.html| archive-date= October 17, 2010 | url-status= live}} The Automobile Club of Buffalo joined in 1903.{{cite web|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317540|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Automobile Club of Buffalo|date=March 2012|access-date=June 25, 2022|author=Virginia L. Bartos|publisher=New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation}} Winthrop E. Scarritt was its first president. One of the first things the organization advocated for was the building of a cross-country highway."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/735343012/ A Boom for Good Roads]". Boston Evening Transcript. April 12, 1902.

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The first AAA road maps were published in 1905. AAA began printing hotel guides in 1917. The AAA began its School Safety Patrol Program in 1920, the first of the association's driver safety programs, which provided local schools with materials, including badges and ID cards{{cite web |title=What I Sniped a Few Days Back! |date=January 9, 2010 |url=http://jonwestfall.com/2010/01/what-i-sniped-a-few-days-back/ |access-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018014801/http://jonwestfall.com/2010/01/what-i-sniped-a-few-days-back/ |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |url-status=live}} to train and organize students into a patrol force. These programs were part of a wave of safety campaigns that sought to upend the then-common opinion that the blame for pedestrian injuries and deaths lay primarily with motorists.{{cite book|last=Norton|first=Peter|title=Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City|publisher=MIT Press|year=2008|isbn=9780262141000}} As summarized by historian Peter Norton, "[AAA] and other members of motordom were crafting a new kind of traffic safety effort[. ...] It claimed that pedestrians were just as responsible as motorists for injuries and accidents. It ignored claims defending the historic rights of pedestrians to the streets—in the new motor age, historic precedents were obsolete." The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which conducts studies on motorist safety, was established as a separate entity in 1947.{{cite news |title=AAA Begins to Organize Traffic Safety Foundation |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1947-11-06/ed-1/seq-32/ |access-date=March 28, 2022 |newspaper=The Evening Star |date=November 6, 1947 |page=B1 |via=Chronicling America}}

AAA created an organization called the Racing Board, and later known as the Contest Board, in 1902 to officiate the Vanderbilt Cup international automobile race in Long Island, New York. In 1909, AAA decided to ban women from any competition they sanctioned after Joan Newton Cuneo had beaten a number of leading male drivers at a variety of different races.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} The Racing Board sanctioned the Indianapolis 500 and awarded national racing championships in 1905, 1916, 1920–1941, and 1946–1955.{{cite web|url=http://www.champcarstats.com/Year.htm|title=Through the Years|publisher=ChampCarStats.com|access-date=October 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903212708/http://www.champcarstats.com/Year.htm|archive-date=September 3, 2011|url-status=live}} 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 and officiating. In 2005, AAA re-entered racing as a sponsor of ISC-owned tracks. In 2006, AAA's foray into racing expanded when it made a three-year commitment to sponsor Roush Racing's number 6 car on the NASCAR Nextel Circuit.{{cite news |title=Roush Racing 2006 news for car No. 6 |url=https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/roush-racing-2006-news-for-car-no-6/204767/ |access-date=December 18, 2021 |work=motorsport.com |date=October 28, 2005 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200528213237/https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/roush-racing-2006-news-for-car-no-6/204767/?nrt=119 |archive-date=2020-05-28}}

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In 1935, AAA published Sportsmanlike Driving, the first course outline for high school teachers. In 1936, AAA published the first driver education curriculum for use in high schools (also titled Sportsmanlike Driving, now known as How to Drive).{{cite web |title=Sportsmanlike driving, a program for high schools |url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001619963 |publisher=AAA |access-date=September 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023153553/http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001619963 |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |url-status=live }} AAA has updated its driver training courses throughout the years and many clubs currently offer their own driving schools, or work with other companies to provide AAA's driving curriculum.{{cite web |title=The Driving School Association of the Americas |url=http://www.thedsaa.org/partnership.asp |year=1986 |access-date=September 13, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100927060119/http://www.thedsaa.org/partnership.asp| archive-date= September 27, 2010 | url-status=dead}} The AAA How to Drive driver education curriculum is currently in its 15th edition and the only officially endorsed curriculum of the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA).{{cite web | url=https://www.adtsea.org/driver-ed-curriculum.phtml | title=Driver ed Classroom Curriculum | ADTSEA }}

In 1936, AAA began a pedestrian safety program with a grant from the Automotive Safety Foundation. AAA went on to commission and publish (1938) an extensive study of pedestrian safety for the purpose of reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries. AAA's Pedestrian Protection Program began in 1937 and focuses national attention on pedestrian safety needs by recognizing cities, counties and states that have demonstrated successful pedestrian safety programs.{{cite news |title=Five Communities Cited For Pedestrian Safety |url=https://www.mcall.com/1986/08/08/five-communities-cited-for-pedestrian-safety/ |newspaper=The Morning Call |access-date=September 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322014100/http://articles.mcall.com/1986-08-08/news/2539361_1_pedestrian-protection-program-pedestrian-fatalities-citation |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |url-status=unfit }}

AAA has also provided services to the U.S. government in times of war. During the 1940s, AAA offered its services to the Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense{{cite web|title=Council of National Defense |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/council-of-national-defense |publisher=Answers.com |access-date=September 13, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100831023733/http://www.answers.com/topic/council-of-national-defense| archive-date= August 31, 2010 | url-status=dead}} in anticipation of becoming involved in World War II. AAA President Thomas P. Henry was appointed consultant in the transportation unit of the Defense Council, and AAA pledged resources, including highway information, to national defense planning efforts as it had during World War I.{{cite magazine |title=Motorists do their 'bit' |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PqYAAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Advisory+Commission+of+the+Council+of+National+Defense+%22+AND+%22American+Automobile+Association%22&pg=RA2-PA17 |magazine=Motor West |year=1917 |access-date=September 13, 2010}}

Reductions in manufacturing because of the war increased the need for conservation in automobiles and their related products. AAA's efforts at conservation included supporting the manufacture of synthetic rubber in anticipation of a war-related tire/rubber shortage, urging motorists to reduce their driving speed to conserve fuel (1942); and backing a scrap rubber campaign (1942). In 1944, AAA's Keep 'em Rolling campaign sponsored a cross-country tour featuring cars equipped with synthetic tires. The tour demonstrated the reliability of tires made with synthetic rubber.{{cite web |title=AAA Tour Cars |url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=39718&qstring=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisconsinhistory.org%2Fwhi%2Fresults.asp%3Fsubject_narrow%3DSafety%2Beducation |website=Wisconsin Historical Society |access-date=September 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610223103/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=39718&qstring=http:%2F%2Fwww.wisconsinhistory.org%2Fwhi%2Fresults.asp%3Fsubject_narrow=Safety+education |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |url-status=live |date = November 24, 2006}} In doing its part to assist in the war effort, AAA placed its mapping facilities at the disposal of the Army department; conducted motor pool driver education (1943); secured an order from the War Production Board that stopped the sale of certain anti-freeze solutions harmful to motors (1943); launched a campaign to alleviate a growing shortage of auto mechanics (1943); monitored tire and gasoline rationing (1943); and established, in cooperation with the Red Cross and military hospitals, a driver training program for veterans with artificial limbs (1944). AAA also assisted in the development of a manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and their operation during wartime (1942).{{cite report|title=War Emergency Edition: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways |url=https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/ghawkins/MUTCD-History_files/1942%20MUTCD.pdf |publisher=American Association of State Highway Officials |date=November 1942 |access-date=September 13, 2010 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716141338/https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/ghawkins/MUTCD-History_files/1942%20MUTCD.pdf |archive-date=July 16, 2010 }}

The end of the war brought new needs for motorists and AAA assisted by releasing the film "Traffic Jam Ahead", which outlined a practical program for postwar traffic safety, and publishing Post-war Travel Trends as a public service. In 1946, AAA launched a campaign called "Take It Easy", which was designed to reduce traffic fatalities. Subsequently, fatalities dropped 20 percent below the pre-war figure.{{cite report |first=Richard F. |last=Weingroff |title=President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Federal Role in Highway Safety |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/safety.pdf |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |access-date=September 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025114130/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/safety.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |url-status=live }}

In the 1960s, AAA helped draft the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, setting safety standards for automobiles, tires, and equipment. AAA also helped draft the Highway Safety Act, specifying standards for motor vehicle inspection and registration, motorcycle safety, driver education, driver licensing, traffic courts, highway design, construction, maintenance, and traffic control devices.{{cite report |title=Federal motor vehicle safety standards and regulations, with amendments and interpretations |url=https://archive.org/details/federalmotorvehi489unit/ |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109224625/http://www.archive.org/stream/federalmotorvehi489unit/federalmotorvehi489unit_djvu.txt |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |url-status=live }}{{failed verification|date=April 2022|talk=Drafting of safety acts}}

During the oil crisis of the 1970s, the AAA Fuel Gauge Report was created to assist motorists in finding gas stations that had fuel and were open. AAA also began its Gas Watchers program with the endorsement of President Gerald Ford. The Gas Watchers Guide continues to be published to provide simple steps motorists can take to conserve gasoline in their daily driving.{{cite book |first=Yanek |last=Mieczkowski |title=Gerald Ford and the challenges of the 1970s |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2JyHO1vNOEC&q=%22American+Automobile+Association%22+AND+%22gerald+ford%22&pg=PA142 |page=142 |year=2005 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=978-0-8131-2349-3 |access-date=September 17, 2010}}

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed AAA President James B. Creal to the National Alcohol Fuels Commission. Creal also chaired a task force on gas rationing and was appointed to President Carter's National Council on Energy Efficiency. AAA representatives serving on President Carter's Alcohol Fuels Commission were requested to sign the Energy Securities Act of 1980. In addition, Creal served on the Industries Advisory Board of Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus in the early 1980s.{{cite news |first=Suzy |last=Hagstrom |title=Aaa Leader A Strong, Silent Type |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/02/19/aaa-leader-a-strong-silent-type/ |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |date=February 19, 1990 |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614031354/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-02-19/business/9002173602_1_creal-aaa-membership |archive-date=June 14, 2012 |url-status=live }}

In the 1980s, AAA's mapping services received significant recognition when scenic highways were identified on AAA's sheet maps for the first time. AAA maps were used in the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition where more than 13,000 full-color AAA map images were provided on an optical laser disc for demonstration of an in-car navigation device in the Chrysler Pavilion. And in 1985 the AAA North American Road Atlas was sold at retail for the first time and made the New York Times best-seller paperback list within six weeks. AAA experimented in the 1980s with the On-line Touring Information System (OTIS), which eventually was combined with other automated services under the name AAA Travel Match. The self-service terminal worked like an ATM, with rotating menus and touch-control screens that allowed users to obtain local travel information.{{cite web |first=Anne |last=Lenaghan |title=American Automobile Association selects Informix as database of choice; INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server to run universal AAAccess system |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/American+Automobile+Association+selects+Informix+as+database+of...-a015882376 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021052259/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/American+Automobile+Association+selects+Informix+as+database+of...-a015882376 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 }}

In congressional hearings held in 1983 on the proposed Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act, the Michigan AAA affiliate (then known as Automobile Club of Michigan) presented testimony regarding the rapid growth in average per-vehicle costs of car theft, in support of stamping the vehicle identification number on individual car parts as a deterrent to such theft.{{citation |title=Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act of 1983: Ninety-eighth Congress, first session, on S. 1400 |series=S. HRG.; 98-301 |publisher=U.S. G.P.O. |pages=84–88 |year=1983 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b5176569&view=1up&seq=88 |access-date=April 6, 2020 |quote=Without Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN's) on components of automobiles, organized crime will enjoy even higher profits because there is no foolproof way to trace [stolen parts] to their origin [enabling criminals] to ply their trade with little or no fear of prosecution.}}

The AAA School Safety Patrol Program and Lifesaving Medal Award won the Presidential Citation Award for Private Sector Initiatives which honors outstanding volunteer projects in 1985.{{cite news |title=Auto Clubs Honored At White House Fyi |url=https://www.mcall.com/1985/06/23/auto-clubs-honored-at-white-house-fyi/ |newspaper=The Morning Call |date=June 23, 1985 |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322014128/http://articles.mcall.com/1985-06-23/news/2465716_1_school-safety-patrols-white-house-aaa |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |url-status=live }} A year later, on February 4, 1986, President Ronald Reagan honored a recipient of AAA's School Safety Patrol Lifesaving Medal in his State of the Union Address.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}

In 1988, AAA focused its legislative efforts on the Truck & Bus Safety Regulatory Reform Act requiring interstate drivers and equipment to meet federal safety regulations. The act was signed into law in November 1988.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}

AAA joined government and private-sector companies—the Federal Highway Administration, Avis, General Motors and the Florida Department of Transportation—in 1990 for the Smart Car experiment, also known as the TravTek Project. This test of a computerized in-car navigation and travel information system demonstrated consumer acceptance of telematics technology that would make driving easier and reduce traffic congestion.{{cite press release |title=TravTek Project Receives ITE Transportation Achievement Award |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/TRAVTEK+PROJECT+RECEIVES+ITE+TRANSPORTATION+ACHIEVEMENT+AWARD-a012443816 |url-status=dead |date=August 10, 1992 |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021052316/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/TRAVTEK+PROJECT+RECEIVES+ITE+TRANSPORTATION+ACHIEVEMENT+AWARD-a012443816 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 }}{{cite report |title=Vehicle Navigation and Information Systems Conference, 1991 |date=October 20, 1991 |doi=10.1109/VNIS.1991.205821 }}

A new driver's education program, "Teaching Teens to Drive", was introduced by AAA in 1996 to focus on parent involvement in teen driving education. A year later, in 1997, AAA launched Licensed to Learn, a campaign to increase awareness of the need for graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws in every state. At the outset of the campaign only eight states had enacted GDL laws. Today, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enacted some form of GDL legislation.{{cite press release |title=AAA to Celebrate 100 Years With Public Service Campaign, Special Offerings to Members |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+to+Celebrate+100+Years+With+Public+Service+Campaign%2c+Special...-a081773495 |url-status=dead |publisher=Business Wire |date=January 14, 2002 |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021052325/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+to+Celebrate+100+Years+With+Public+Service+Campaign,+Special...-a081773495 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 }}

Research in the 1990s led AAA to pursue another issue of importance to US motorists: a transportation crisis resulting from infrastructure that had been under-funded for many years. The Crisis Ahead: America's Aging Highways and Airways research led to AAA helping to shape two pieces of landmark legislation: the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998 and the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) in 2000.{{cite web |title=AAA President/CEO Issues Four Point Plan To Improve the Air Travel System |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2000/08/21/006300.html |publisher=TheAutoChannel.com |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813102148/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2000/08/21/006300.html |archive-date=August 13, 2012 |url-status=live }} Both laws embrace the principle that user fees charged to motorists and air travelers should be fully invested in improving and modernizing the nation's surface and air transportation infrastructures.{{cite press release |title=AAA to Democrats: Preserve America's Highways and Airways |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+TO+DEMOCRATS%3a+PRESERVE+AMERICA%27S+HIGHWAYS+AND+AIRWAYS-a018468531 |url-status=dead |publisher=PRNewswire |date=July 10, 1996 |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018014801/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+TO+DEMOCRATS%3a+PRESERVE+AMERICA%27S+HIGHWAYS+AND+AIRWAYS-a018468531 |archive-date=October 18, 2015 }}{{cite web |title=AAA Statement: Feds Need to Boost Highway Safety Effort |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970131/news03086.html |publisher=TheAutoChannel.com |date=January 31, 1997 |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813102151/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970131/news03086.html |archive-date=August 13, 2012 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |first=James L. |last=Kolstad |title=ISTEA to The Rescue |url=http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Quality/LTAP/Newsletters/summer1%5B1%5D.htm |publisher=Ohio LTAP Center |access-date=September 17, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100803204339/http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Quality/LTAP/Newsletters/summer1%5B1%5D.htm| archive-date= August 3, 2010 | url-status=dead}}

Because of its work in traffic safety AAA was cited in 1998 as the Clinton Administration's number one traffic safety partner by U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater. And in 2000, NHTSA presented AAA with a public service award in appreciation of AAA's leadership in the Child Passenger Safety Certification Program, which teaches how to properly install infant/child safety seats, and for its continuing efforts in graduated driver licensing.{{cite web |title=U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Charges Safety Conference to Help Meet Seat Belt Goal; Salutes Recipients of Highway Safety Awards |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2000/05/02/001605.html |publisher=TheAutoChannel.com |access-date=September 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813102157/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2000/05/02/001605.html |archive-date=August 13, 2012 |url-status=live }}

Skyrocketing gas prices led AAA to testify before three congressional committees regarding increased gasoline prices in 2000, and to lobby to prevent Congress from repealing parts of the federal gasoline tax, which would have reduced Highway Trust Fund revenue without guaranteeing consumers any relief from high gas prices.{{cite press release |title=AAA Commends Pena's Efforts to Return All Federal Gas Taxes to Highway Trust Fund |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+COMMENDS+PENA%27S+EFFORTS+TO+RETURN+ALL+FEDERAL+GAS+TAXES+TO...-a013126965 |url-status=dead |publisher=AAA |date=March 13, 1993 |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018014801/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+COMMENDS+PENA%27S+EFFORTS+TO+RETURN+ALL+FEDERAL+GAS+TAXES+TO...-a013126965 |archive-date=October 18, 2015 }}{{cite news |title=AAA: No Federal Gas-tax Hike |url=https://www.mcall.com/1989/02/19/aaa-no-federal-gas-tax-hike/ |newspaper=The Morning Call |date=February 19, 1989 |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322014212/http://articles.mcall.com/1989-02-19/news/2676556_1_gas-tax-tax-hike-highway-maintenance |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=AAA Urges Congress to Invest Added $5 Billion Annually in Nation's Roads, Bridges |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19970909/press006084.html |publisher=TheAutoChannel.com |date=September 9, 1997 |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813102448/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19970909/press006084.html |archive-date=August 13, 2012 |url-status=live }} Participating in the U.S. Department of Transportation secretary's Aviation Summit, AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet communicated AAA's stand on the aviation crisis saying that consistent underfunding of the nation's air transportation infrastructure had led to the crisis and offering a four-point plan to help turn it around.{{cite web |title=AAA President/CEO Issues Four Point Plan To Improve the Air Travel System |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2000/08/21/006300.html |publisher=TheAutoChannel.com |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813102148/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2000/08/21/006300.html |archive-date=August 13, 2012 |url-status=live }} Also that year, AAA testified before Congress and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, on proposed hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers and launched Share With Care, a public education campaign on safely sharing the road with trucks.{{cite press release |title=AAA To Focus Safety Efforts On Ways to Prevent Crashes Between Cars and Large Trucks |url=http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/transportation-law-speed-limits/5978237-1.html |publisher=AAA |date=July 23, 2003 |access-date=September 22, 2010}}

In the early 2000s (decade), AAA's focus on helping seniors stay mobile longer and more safely led to an appointment to the White House Conference on Aging.{{cite report |title=Building the Road Safety Profession in the Public Sector: Special Report 289 |quote=T. Bella Dinh-Zarr ... joined AAA in March 2002 ... and was a Presidential Appointee to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging AdvisoryCommittee. |url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr289.pdf#page=111&search=Dinh-Zarr |publisher=Transportation Research Board |year=2007 |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705134043/http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr289.pdf#page=111&search=Dinh-Zarr |archive-date=July 5, 2010 |url-status=live }} AAA promoted solutions such as senior-friendly road design, screening tools, education for seniors and their families, and supplemental transportation. Reader's Digest highlighted AAA's transportation safety agenda by focusing on the importance of road safety improvements, particularly for seniors.{{cite news |first=Kathleen |last=Koch |title=Study: Bad roadways big factor in traffic deaths |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/06/23/dangerous.roads/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=June 23, 2003 |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108175311/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/06/23/dangerous.roads/index.html |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |url-status=live }} To help seniors become safer drivers or to recognize signs that it is time to stop driving, AAA developed Roadwise Review, a computer-based screening tool enabling older drivers to identify and address physiological changes that could affect driving.{{cite web |first=Linda |last=Rhodes |title=A Program for Older Drivers |url=http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/caring/basics/driving/father-driving |website=Revolution Health |date=February 22, 2007 |access-date=September 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723200444/http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/caring/basics/driving/father-driving |archive-date=July 23, 2011 |url-status=unfit }}

During the Jim Crow era, AAA actively discriminated against African Americans, who could not join the association.{{cite book|last=Seiler|first=Cotten|title=Republic of Drivers: A Cultural History of Automobility in America|year=2009|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0226745640|pages=108–109|quote=...the earliest days of automobility, overlapping and mutually sustaining racist laws, social codes, governmental regulation, and commercial practices have attenuated the mobility of the black driver: segregated roadside mechanical and medical aid, food, and shelter; the discriminatory membership policies of motoring organizations such as the American Automobile Association (AAA).}} Alternatives to AAA guides, such as The Negro Motorist Green Book, were written.{{cite news|last=Onion|first=Rebecca|title=A Midcentury Travel Guide for African-American Drivers Navigating Jim Crow|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/02/11/the_negro_motorist_green_book_the_mid_century_guide_for_african_american.html|work=Slate|access-date=February 11, 2013|quote=...the Green Book flourished during a time when cars were getting cheaper, and travel by automobile was becoming more common. For black drivers, however, freedom of the road had its limits. These travelers had to navigate segregated accommodations, couldn’t join AAA, and received disproportionate levels of attention from the police and local racists.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211160821/http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/02/11/the_negro_motorist_green_book_the_mid_century_guide_for_african_american.html|archive-date=February 11, 2013|url-status=live}}

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Members belong to one of 42 individual clubs (see List of AAA regional clubs), and the clubs in turn own AAA. The number of local clubs has decreased over time through consolidation; as late as the 1970s the membership roster included dozens of clubs that each served a single county, particularly in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. 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.

The vast majority of AAA clubs have "AAA" as part of their name, although the two largest AAA clubs by membership do not: the Automobile Club of Southern California and Auto Club Group.

AAA clubs primarily provide emergency road services to its members. These services, which include towing, lockouts, winching, tire changes, automotive first aid, battery replacement, and others, are handled by private local towing companies contracted by a state AAA club. AAA sells roadside assistance for a variety of motor vehicles, including motorcycles. In some areas, AAA also offers bicycle roadside assistance. Many AAA clubs have an automotive fleet division serving large metro areas, while private towing companies cover the surplus call volume by area. Certain clubs have implemented an "on the go" diagnostic/installation automotive battery program.{{cite web |first=Drew |last=Hardin |title=Top 10 Other Benefits of Your AAA Membership |url=http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/131932/article.html |website=Edmunds |access-date=September 3, 2010 |quote=For 11 years now, AAA's been offering mobile battery service. That's not just about giving your battery juice via jumper cables as part of the roadside-assistance package. AAA will test, diagnose or even replace the battery on the spot to help prevent you from ending up on the roadside in the future. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803154009/http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/131932/article.html|archive-date=August 3, 2009|url-status=unfit }}

The AAA Diamond Program rate restaurants and hotels according to a "diamond" scale (one to five). It includes over 60,000 properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, amongst them nearly 27,000 hotels and more than 30,000 restaurants.{{Cite press release |url=https://media.acg.aaa.com/aaa-announces-2020-four-and-five-diamond-awards.htm|title = AAA Announces 2020 "Four and Five" Diamond Awards}} The best hotels and restaurants according to AAA's criteria receive the Five Diamond Award.

Clubs also distribute road maps (including customized map guides for specific journeys) and travel publications (TourBook guides). Many offices sell insurance for automobile, home/renters, umbrella and life as well as provide travel agency, auto-registration and notary services.{{cite web |title=AAA Insurance |url=https://www.ace.aaa.com/insurance.html |publisher=AAA |access-date=June 1, 2025}} Maps, TourBook guides, and travel agent services are generally free to members. AAA also offers member discounts through its "AAA Discounts & Rewards" program.{{cite web |title=AAA.com/discounts |url=http://www.aaa.com/discounts |publisher=AAA |access-date=September 3, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080720144049/http://www.aaa.com/discounts| archive-date=July 20, 2008| url-status= live}} TripTik is AAA's travel planning guide and online travel planner. The print version includes road maps and other travel information, such as gas prices.{{Cite news|url=https://skift.com/2015/05/22/the-most-successful-trip-planning-app-still-comes-in-a-paper-version/|title=The Most Successful Trip Planning App Still Comes in a Paper Version|date=May 22, 2015|work=Skift|access-date=September 19, 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926014415/https://skift.com/2015/05/22/the-most-successful-trip-planning-app-still-comes-in-a-paper-version/|archive-date=September 26, 2018|url-status=live}}

AAA is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue International Driving Permits in the United States, along with the National Automobile Club.

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 Automobile Association (United Kingdom), ANWB (Netherlands), ADAC (Germany), ACI (Italy), TCS (Switzerland), TCB (Belgium), ÖAMTC (Austria) and RACE (Spain) below.
• The Canadian Automobile Association in Canada (TourBooks guides and maps of Canadian places are published by AAA, and are distributed by AAA and CAA clubs using both AAA and CAA logos).

An updated listing of International Affiliates can be found on [http://exchange.aaa.com/automobiles-travel/international-travel/international-clubs/ AAA's Exchange website].

The AAA has weighed in over the years on numerous issues that affect motorists.

The AAA is known for occasional high-profile motorist advisories of traffic enforcement, such as when it rented a billboard to warn motorists of the speed trap town of Lawtey, Florida.{{cite news |first=Kyle |last=Meenan |title=Billboard Wars Over Lawtey As A 'Speed Trap' |url=http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=32199 |publisher=First Coast News |year=2005 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730145153/http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=32199 |archive-date=July 30, 2012 |access-date=March 4, 2018 |url-status=dead}} It also is a supporter of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, first introduced in 2001 but which has not become law.

Additionally, the AAA supported measures that tax motorists—with the goal of strengthening infrastructure and highway maintenance—as well as supporting other measures that affect drivers:

• Virginia's now-repealed traffic citation tax because of its revenue generation potential.{{cite news |first=Marc |last=Fisher |title=Rage Over Driver Fees Has Va. Legislators Asking, 'Huh?' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082501223.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=C01 |date=August 26, 2007 |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725175450/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082501223.html |archive-date=July 25, 2008 |url-status=live }}
• The since-repealed National Maximum Speed Limit that limited speeds to 55 mph (90 km/h).{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/26/travel/practical-traveler-the-55-mph-speed-limit.html | work=The New York Times | first=Paul | last=Grimes | title=Practical Traveler: The 55-M.P.H. Speed Limit | date=December 26, 1982 | access-date=February 5, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110012528/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/26/travel/practical-traveler-the-55-mph-speed-limit.html | archive-date=November 10, 2016 | url-status=live }}
• Supporting red light cameras.{{cite web|url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/04/three-motorists-suing-new-york-city-over-red-light-cameras/|title=Motorists File Class-Action Lawsuit Against NYC Over Red-Light Cameras|date=December 4, 2012|access-date=February 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212070448/https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/04/three-motorists-suing-new-york-city-over-red-light-cameras/|archive-date=February 12, 2019|url-status=live}}
• Lobbied in favor of speed cameras in Maryland in 2002,{{cite web|url=http://ww2.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2002/200214/silverspring/news/98529-1.html|title=Speed camera legislation dies|website=ww2.gazette.net|access-date=July 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714122502/http://ww2.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2002/200214/silverspring/news/98529-1.html|archive-date=July 14, 2014|url-status=dead}} several years before they were actually authorized. Provisionally supporting the expansion of speed cameras in Maryland in 2009,{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1e8Zo-xJDL2ZEFkVFl1cXgyS0k/edit?usp=sharing&usp=embed_facebook|title=SB277 - speed camera bill - MIller 2-23-09(3).pdf|website=Google Docs}} and opposing the repeal of speed cameras in Maryland in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.wbaltv.com/article/state-house-committee-hears-speed-cameras-scrutiny/7079367 |title=State House committee hears speed-cameras scrutiny |date=March 6, 2013 |access-date=July 3, 2017 |work=WBAL-TV |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624193705/http://www.wbaltv.com/news/politics/State-House-committee-hears-speed-cameras-scrutiny/-/9379266/19190870/-/r5l800z/-/index.html |archive-date=June 24, 2013 |url-status=live}}
• Lobbied in favor of authorizing speed cameras in Indiana.{{cite web |url=http://blog.aaahoosier.com/?p=1862 |title=AA Outlines 2013 Legislative Agenda |access-date=July 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714233736/http://blog.aaahoosier.com/?p=1862 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=dead |date=January 10, 2013}}
• Supporting an increase in the federal gas tax,{{cite web |url=http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2013/04/gas-taxes-are-still-here.php#2319387 |title=Gas Taxes Are Still Here |access-date=April 20, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425133719/http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2013/04/gas-taxes-are-still-here.php |archive-date=April 25, 2013 }} and supporting gas tax increases at the state level such as in Virginia in 2012.{{cite web|url=https://wtvr.com/2012/11/21/aaa-mid-atlantic-supports-increase-in-gas-tax/|title=AAA Mid-Atlantic supports increase in gas tax|date=November 21, 2012|access-date=February 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108050306/https://wtvr.com/2012/11/21/aaa-mid-atlantic-supports-increase-in-gas-tax/|archive-date=January 8, 2019|url-status=live}}
• Opposing Illinois increasing its rural speed limit from 65 to 70 mph (105–115 km/h).{{cite web|url=http://media.aaachicago.com/images/9059/speedbill2013.pdf |title=AAA Opposes Illinois Bill to Increase Speed Limits to 70 MPH |access-date=September 9, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222224/http://media.aaachicago.com/images/9059/speedbill2013.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2016 }}
• Proposing the creation of a vehicle miles traveled tax in Idaho{{cite web |url=https://itd.idaho.gov/taskforce/resources/AAARecommendations.pdf?TabId%3D13597 |title=AAA Recommendations to the Governor's Task Force on Modernizing Transportation Funding |access-date=July 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511101213/http://itd.idaho.gov/taskforce/resources/AAARecommendations.pdf?TabId=13597 |archive-date=May 11, 2012 }}
• Opposing the raising of tolls on bridges and tunnels in the New York Metropolitan Area.{{cite web |last1=O'Grady |first1=Jim |title=Tolls Rise On NY-NJ Port Authority Crossings Despite AAA Lawsuit |url=http://transportationnation.org/2012/11/30/tolls-going-up-again-on-ny-nj-port-authority-crossings-despite-aaa-lawsuit/ |website=Transportation Nation |access-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207232754/http://transportationnation.org:80/2012/11/30/tolls-going-up-again-on-ny-nj-port-authority-crossings-despite-aaa-lawsuit/ |archive-date=December 7, 2012 |date=November 30, 2012}}

In 2001, AAA launched its Great Battery Roundup to encourage motorists to recycle old automobile batteries, tires and various types of automotive fluids. Since then more than 4 million batteries have been recycled through that program and the mobile battery service. Typically holding events around Earth Day, AAA clubs often team up with other environmental organization such as the EPA and the Nature Conservancy to expand these recycling efforts.{{cite web |title=This Earth Day, AAA, The EPA and The Nature Conservancy Sponsored The Great Battery RoundUp |url=http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newjersey/press/press1864.html |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |date=September 10, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060603010959/http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newjersey/press/press1864.html |archive-date=June 3, 2006 |access-date=March 3, 2018 |url-status=dead}}

In 2006, AAA worked with the EPA to improve the fuel economy information provided to new car buyers by vehicle manufacturers. Using several different types of tests, AAA recreated real-world driving conditions to illustrate the difference in fuel economy, and the EPA incorporated AAA's testing into their new procedures. The more accurate testing resulted in a reduction of miles per gallon claims between 5 and 25 percent, beginning with 2008 model year vehicles.{{cite web |title=New EPA Fuel Economy Ratings |url=http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=2209 |publisher=GasSavers.org |date=November 17, 2006 |access-date=September 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726074031/http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=2209 |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |url-status=live }}

As fuel prices rise, consumers often see increased marketing of fuel additives as a way to boost fuel economy. AAA has tested many of these products and has never found one that provides significant savings for consumers. AAA has warned consumers repeatedly against products that make such claims and encourages motorists to develop instead fuel-conserving driving habits, such as reducing the weight of the vehicle by removing unnecessary objects from the trunk, instituting smooth stops and starts, and reducing their speed.{{cite web |title=AAA: Steer Clear of "Fuel-Saving" Additives |url=http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/05/aaa_steer_clear.html |publisher=Green Car Congress |date=May 26, 2006 |access-date=September 29, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101021082115/http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/05/aaa_steer_clear.html| archive-date= October 21, 2010 | url-status=dead}}

It is generally understood that the benefits of fuel conservation for consumers include financial savings, improved road safety and a healthier environment. To assist motorists in becoming more conscious about saving fuel, AAA published its first Gas Watcher's Guide in the 1970s during the oil crisis. The annual guide provides information on a variety of factors that affect fuel economy, such as modifying driving behavior, keeping a vehicle well maintained, choosing the proper fuel, and choosing the most fuel-efficient vehicle for a family's needs.{{cite web |title=AAA 2010 Gas Watcher's Guide |url=https://midatlantic.aaa.com/-/media/Files/PGA/Gas/GasWatchersGuide2010d-(2).ashx |date=March 12, 2010 |access-date=March 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304231541/https://midatlantic.aaa.com/-/media/Files/PGA/Gas/GasWatchersGuide2010d-(2).ashx |archive-date=March 4, 2018 |url-status=live }}

Over the years, AAA has encouraged consumers to use public transportation by including these transportation options in its travel guidebooks. AAA has also called on government to invest adequately in a multi-modal transportation system that is widely accessible and affordable. In comments to the National Journal, AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet said that funding for high-speed rail from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a "drop in the bucket" of what is needed, and that those funds would be well spent if, going forward, additional sources of investment could be identified.{{cite news |first=Lisa |last=Caruso |title=Is Obama Spending The High-Speed Rail Money Wisely? |url=http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/is-obama-spending-the-highspee.php |publisher=National Journal – Expert Blogs: Transportation |date=February 1, 2010 |access-date=September 29, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100818235541/http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2010/02/is-obama-spending-the-highspee.php| archive-date= August 18, 2010 | url-status=dead}}

In addition to encouraging fuel efficiency and conservation, AAA and other organizations initiated National Car Care Month during the 1980s to publicize the fact that poorly maintained vehicles contribute to excessive energy consumption and air pollution. AAA works in cooperation with businesses, civic groups, the government and the media in promoting and coordinating this annual event, held each October.{{cite news |title=Free car care month event in Baltimore area features 40-point vehicle check, free windshield chip repair, Oct. 13 |url=https://gbc.org/free-car-care-month-event-in-baltimore-area-features-40-point-vehicle-check-free-windshield-chip-repair/ |publisher=Greater Baltimore Committee |date=October 12, 2009 |access-date=December 12, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124092053/http://gbc.org/news/1339/ |archive-date=November 24, 2010 }}{{cite news |title=AAA Chicago Urges Motorists to Prepare Cars for Winter; Offers Free Car Inspections at AAA Approved Auto Repair Facilities as Incentive |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+Chicago+Urges+Motorists+to+Prepare+Cars+for+Winter%3B+Offers+Free...-a0122632817 |url-status=dead |publisher=PR Newswire |date=September 29, 2004 |access-date=March 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303225134/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/AAA+Chicago+Urges+Motorists+to+Prepare+Cars+for+Winter%3B+Offers+Free...-a0122632817 |archive-date=March 3, 2018 }}

In 1992, AAA launched a popular ecotourism promotion called Freedom's Way. With support from agencies such as the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency and others, AAA produced travel tips and public service messages encouraging travelers to help protect America's scenic areas and respect the environment. Topics included reducing congestion and pollution, conserving energy, disposing of litter and enjoying wildlife at a distance. The prevailing theme was that heavy use or abuse of a site damages the quality of the experience for everyone and sometimes even results in the closure of parks and recreation areas. The message was simple but effective.{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Carlic |title=Ecotourism focuses on appreciating nature |url=http://blog.syracuse.com/green/2009/01/ecotourism_focuses_on_apprecia.html |newspaper=The Post-Standard |date=January 26, 2009 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401195404/http://blog.syracuse.com/green/2009/01/ecotourism_focuses_on_apprecia.html |archive-date=April 1, 2012 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Greener Driving |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1992/06/29/greener-driving/ |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |date=June 29, 1992 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829174712/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1992-06-29/business/9206270816_1_greener-driving-conserving-fuel-environmental-tips |archive-date=August 29, 2012 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Green Travel on Vacation – with Style |url=http://www.travelsense.org/tips/greentravel.cfm |publisher=Travel Sense |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005060444/http://www.travelsense.org/tips/greentravel.cfm |archive-date=October 5, 2010 |url-status=dead }}

In 2016, AAA introduced a new website{{Cite web |url=http://exchangeev.aaa.com/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908030404/http://exchangeev.aaa.com/ |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |title=Electric Vehicles}} focused on hybrid and electric vehicles, and offers mobile charging aid for stranded EVs, similar to fuel-starved piston cars.{{cite web|url=https://electrek.co/2016/09/06/aaa-ev-emergency-charging-truck/|title=AAA says that its emergency electric vehicle charging trucks served "thousands" of EVs without power|work=Electrek|date=September 6, 2016|access-date=September 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910081813/https://electrek.co/2016/09/06/aaa-ev-emergency-charging-truck/|archive-date=September 10, 2016|url-status=live |last1=Lambert |first1=Fred }}

AAA clubs have also been a part of the organization's century-long environmental advocacy efforts including:

• In 1919, alarmed by rapid destruction of California's giant redwood trees at the hands of commercial loggers, AAA's California State Automobile Association launched a multiyear publicity and lobbying campaign. Working with the Save the Redwoods League, CSAA continued promoting awareness and, in 1927, a bill creating a state park system that protected redwoods became law.{{cite book |first=Jon C. |last=Teaford |author-link=Jon C. Teaford |title=The rise of the states: evolution of American state government |url=https://archive.org/details/riseofstatesevol0000teaf |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/riseofstatesevol0000teaf/page/116 116] |quote=CSAA AND save the redwoods. |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |year=2002 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |isbn=978-0-8018-6889-4}}
• AAA Washington works with the state's Department of Ecology to assist with programs that help minimize the impact of automobile emissions, and the club's fleet services operations were named a county EnviroStar business in recognition of environment-friendly practices.{{cite press release |title=Focus on Quicksilver Champions |url=http://www.ecy.wa.gov/mercury/documents/QuicksilverChampions.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Ecology |date=April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509121628/http://www.ecy.wa.gov/mercury/documents/QuicksilverChampions.pdf |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |access-date=March 3, 2018 |url-status=dead}}{{cite press release |title=Ecology and partners divert 12,000 pounds of mercury from environment; Don't toss that fluorescent bulb! Take it back! |url=http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2008news/2008-101.html |publisher=Washington State Department of Ecology |date=April 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509121731/http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2008news/2008-101.html |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |access-date=March 3, 2018 |url-status=dead}}
• Since 1991, the California State Automobile Association and Bay Area Air Quality Management District have co-sponsored a Spare the Air campaign designed to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. CSAA also sponsors the AAA Outdoor Corps, a group of employee volunteers who clean beaches, clear park trails and plant trees in wetlands.{{cite news |first=Eckhart |last=Beatty |title=The TH Interview: Jenny Mack, Spokesperson for the California State Automobile Association |url=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/the_th_intervie_20.php |publisher=treehugger |date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829152245/http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/11/the_th_intervie_20.php |archive-date=August 29, 2008 |url-status=live }}
• AAA Michigan sponsors Detroit Clean Sweep, an ongoing program involving club employees who help promote a cleaner environment through volunteer activities such as collecting litter. In addition, the club's Freeway Courtesy Patrol vans cruise local roadways to assist motorists and help reduce congestion.{{cite press release |title=2025 Regional Transportation Plan for Southeast Michigan: "Putting Traffic Safety into the Planning Mix" |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tpea/2004pisa.htm |publisher=Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration |year=2004 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020104100/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tpea/2004pisa.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}
• AAA Mid-Atlantic was lead sponsor of a U.S. Department of Transportation Livable Communities workshop in Philadelphia that brought together bicycle, pedestrian, transit and safety groups regarding safe and efficient travel. In honor of Earth Day, AAA Mid-Atlantic planted trees in America's National Forests, literally, on behalf of their members who took advantage of AAA Mid-Atlantic's Mobile Battery Service program. For every member who called to have a new car battery installed and the old battery recycled, a tree was planted in the national forest. The tree plantings were made possible through the Arbor Day Foundation, a non-profit conservation and education organization.{{cite news |first=Stephanie |last=Mlot |title=Traveling Through: Tree Planting – AAA recycles four million auto batteries, 90 million pounds of lead |url=http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/blogs/categories.htm?catid=2162&bid=57 |publisher=The Frederick News-Post Online |date=April 21, 2010 |access-date=October 6, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101007123047/http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/blogs/categories.htm?catid=2162&bid=57| archive-date= October 7, 2010 | url-status=dead}}
• AAA Oregon/Idaho is closely associated with Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism, and provides TripTik-style guides for annual beach clean-ups and habitat mitigation projects.{{cite web|title=Weather Good for Oregon Coast Cleanup, but High Sand Covers Trash |url=http://www.beachconnection.net/news/cleanup091507_832.php |publisher=Oregon Coast Beach Connection |date=September 15, 2007 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030035739/http://www.beachconnection.net/news/cleanup091507_832.php |archive-date=October 30, 2007 |url-status=live}}
• AAA Lancaster County earned an Outstanding Partner Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for its Ozone Action Program. The club also belongs to an advisory committee that promotes multiple modes of transportation systems that conform to federal air quality standards.{{cite press release |first=April |last=Linton |title=Southcentral Regional Ozone Stakeholders to Meet For First Time |publisher=Dept. of Environmental Protection Pennsylvania |date=March 29, 1999 }}
• The Auto Club of Southern California helped establish the Southern California Rideshare program. The club has supported dozens of transit projects that provide an appropriate benefit for their expense, including commuter transit services in the Inland Empire.{{cite report |title=Tweets and E-Alerts for the Commute |url=http://www.commutesmart.info/csnews/csn0310.pdf |publisher=CommuteSmart News |date=March 2010 |access-date=October 6, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101005151333/http://commutesmart.info/csnews/csn0310.pdf| archive-date= October 5, 2010 | url-status= live}}

Despite its work promoting environmental responsibility in the automotive and transportation arenas, AAA's lobbying positions have sometimes been perceived to be hostile to mass transit and environmental interests. In 2006, the Automobile Club of Southern California worked against Prop. 87. The proposition would have established a "$4 billion program to reduce petroleum consumption (in California) by 25 percent, with research and production incentives for alternative energy, alternative energy vehicles, energy efficient technologies, and for education and training."{{cite web |date=August 9, 2006 |title=Proposition 87: More dependence on foreign oil and higher prices at the gas pump |url=http://digital.library.ucla.edu/websites/2006_995_145/nooiltax.com/keyfacts/dependence.htm |access-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150204112217/http://digital.library.ucla.edu/websites/2006_995_145/nooiltax.com/keyfacts/dependence.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2015 |url-status=live }}

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."{{cite magazine |last=Rivlin |first=Michael A. |date=Winter 2001 |title=The Secret Life of AAA |magazine=The Amicus Journal |via=Transportation Alternatives |url=http://transalt.org/files/news/media/2001/010101amicus.html |access-date=July 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725042705/http://transalt.org/files/news/media/2001/010101amicus.html |archive-date=July 25, 2016 |url-status=dead }} 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." "AAA spokespeople have criticized open-space measures and opposed U.S. EPA restrictions on smog, soot, and tailpipe emissions."{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Nijhuis |title=Road Warriors: A travel club provides a greener alternative to AAA |url=http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2003/02/11/warriors/ |work=Grist Magazine |date=February 11, 2003 |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724051225/http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2003/02/11/warriors/ |archive-date=July 24, 2008 |url-status=live }} "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."{{cite magazine |last=Silverstein |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Silverstein |date=May 2002 |title=Smitten with a Club – Your AAA dues fuel pollution and sprawl |magazine=Harper's Magazine |url=https://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/Harpers2002may.cfm |access-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717093952/https://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/Harpers2002may.cfm |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |url-status=unfit |via=Better World Club }} {{As of|2017}}, AAA continues to lobby against public transportation projects.Friedman, Gordon R. (June 20, 2017) [http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/06/oregon_highway_funding_bill_th.html Oregon highway funding bill thrown into peril as deadline looms] The Oregonian {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516014755/http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/06/oregon_highway_funding_bill_th.html |date=May 16, 2018|access-date=May 15, 2018}}

While AAA's work on behalf of motorists and travelers seems at odds sometimes with its environmental stance, awareness of the underlying issues has led to greater understanding. For instance, in 2009, AAA asked the EPA not to increase the allowable ethanol content in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent, citing several concerns affecting vehicle emissions, engine performance, system component damage, and vehicle warranty agreements, among others. AAA said that more research needed to be done on the potential harmful effects prior to increasing the ethanol content in fuel.{{cite web |title=AAA Calls for the EPA to Reject Petition to Increase Ethanol Content in Gasoline to 15 Percent |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/07/22/470887.html |work=TheAutoChannel.com |date=July 22, 2009 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220224047/http://theautochannel.com/news/2009/07/22/470887.html |archive-date=December 20, 2010 |url-status=live }}

In another instance, AAA supported the overall goal of the Clean Air Act, but objected to several specific provisions in the legislation, requesting clarification of the proposed state inspection and maintenance program provision and asking that the implementation guidelines be fully evaluated prior to enactment. According to a Washington Times article,{{Citation needed|date=May 2018}} which referred to research by Energy & Environment Analysis Inc., tightening federal emissions standards had led to a role reversal for the automobile, making it less of a contributor to smog. Instead, stationary emission sources such as factories, as well as heavy and utility vehicles were more of a threat to air quality and would be appropriate targets in the battle against smog. "However, by primarily emphasizing vehicle regulations in the 1970s and ignoring gasoline regulations EPA actually caused fuels to become dirtier, effectively undermining a significant portion of any gains achieved through the tighter control of vehicles."{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Gough |title=Clearing the Air on EPA's New Emissions Proposal |website=Competitive Enterprise Institute |url=http://cei.org/studies-point/clearing-air-epa%E2%80%99s-new-emissions-proposal |date=May 10, 1999 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003190049/http://cei.org/studies-point/clearing-air-epa%E2%80%99s-new-emissions-proposal |archive-date=October 3, 2011 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |first=Matthew L. |last=Wald |title=Gasoline Prices to Rise in Many Areas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/09/us/gasoline-prices-to-rise-in-many-areas.html?scp=1&sq=%22clean-air%20rules%22%20AND%20%22American%20Automobile%20Association%22&st=cse |work=The New York Times |date=November 9, 1994 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725132124/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/09/us/gasoline-prices-to-rise-in-many-areas.html?scp=1&sq=%22clean-air%20rules%22%20AND%20%22American%20Automobile%20Association%22&st=cse |archive-date=July 25, 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |first=Eric |last=Peters |title=A Catalytic Con Job |newspaper=Investor's Business Daily |url=http://junksciencearchive.com/dec98/catcon.html |via=JunkScience.com |date=December 16, 199 |access-date=November 20, 2022}}{{cite report |first=Michael |last=Koontz |title=Clean Air and Transportation: The Facts may Surprise You |url=https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/julyaugust-1998/clean-air-and-transportation-facts-may-surprise-you |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |date=July–August 1998 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021143543/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/98julaug/clean.cfm |archive-date=October 21, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

And more recently, although AAA supports the manufacture and use of hybrid vehicles, research by the British Columbia Automobile Association in 2010 shows that they do not result in significant financial savings for consumers, although they are often marketed that way.{{cite news|title=Hybrid gas savings no deal says report |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/hybrid-gas-savings-no-deal-says-report-1.869323 |publisher=CBC News |date=July 22, 2010 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724230928/http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/07/22/con-hybrid-costs.html |archive-date=July 24, 2010 }}

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.{{cite press release |title=AAA showcases CalCars at SF Intl Auto Show Nov. 19-26 |publisher=CalCars |date=November 4, 2005 |url=http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/190.html |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704083246/http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/190.html |archive-date=July 4, 2008 |url-status=live }}

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{Notes}}

• AAA (disambiguation)
• AAA Travel High School Challenge
• Alliance Internationale de Tourisme
• Canadian Automobile Association
• Automobile Club of America
• United States Auto Club

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|American Automobile Association}}

• {{Official website|1=http://www.aaa.com/}}
• {{Cite book |title=Who, Me? Forty years of Automobile History |chapter=American Automobile Association |chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015059909948&seq=121 |author=Chris Sinsabaugh|year=1940 |publisher=Arnold-Powers }}
• [https://www.aaalife.com/ AAA Life Insurance Company]

{{Authority control}}

Category:1902 establishments in Illinois

Category:Automobile associations in the United States

Category:Financial services companies established in 1902

Category:Insurance companies of the United States

Category:Lobbying organizations in the United States

Category:Map companies of the United States

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Florida

Category:Organizations established in 1902

Category:Transport companies established in 1902

Category:Emergency road services