American Automobile Association

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 near Orlando, Florida in Heathrow, Florida.

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, who were generally of an auto enthusiast demographic. AAA’s membership base is and was formed from 9 local and regional motor clubs that combined forces to create a more powerful organization.

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.

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.