Corporate body

American Automobile Association

1902-

American Automobile Association (AAA) is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 million members in the United States and Canada. It provides services to its members, including roadside assistance and others. Its national headquarters are in Heathrow, Florida.

It was founded on March 4, 1902, in Chicago, Illinois, in response to a lack of roads and highways suitable for automobiles. The first AAA road maps were published in 1905, and in 1917, it began printing hotel guides. The AAA began its School Safety Patrol Program in 1920, the first of the association's driver safety programs that provided local schools with materials, including badges and ID cards, to train and organize students into a patrol force. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which conducts studies on motorist safety, was established as a separate entity in 1947. 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. During the Jim Crow era, AAA actively discriminated against African Americans, who could not join the association. Alternatives to AAA guides, such as The Negro Motorist Green Book, were written.