The Automobile Association
 | An AA van in 2004 |
|  | AA car transporter in 2004 |
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 | Old AA-supplied village sign at Hawkesbury Upton, South Gloucestershire, England. The sign says that London is 103 miles away while the next village (Dunkirk) is one mile away |
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 | AA sidecar of unknown date |
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The Automobile Association (also referred to as
The AA) is a
British motoring organisation.
On
June 29,
1905 a group of motoring enthusiasts met at the Trocadero restaurant in the
West End of
London. This was the inauguration of the Automobile Association, formed to help motorists avoid
police speed traps.
By
1906 the association took a stand on road safety issues, and erected thousands of roadside warning signs.
In
1908, the AA published the
AA Members' Special Handbook, a list of nationwide agents and mechanics. The following year saw the introduction of the AA's free legal system.
Between
1910 and
1929 the AA introduced
AA Routes. To this day, the association continues to produce travel guides and maps. AA Publishing has grown to be the
UK's dominant publisher of travel literature. Also, from
1912 the AA began inspecting hotels and restaurants, issuing the coveted
AA Star Classification to those deemed to be of superior quality. By
1914, the AA had grown to 83,000 members. In the
1920s the association introduced pre-purchase and post-accident repair checks.
By 1939, the AA's membership had grown to 725,000, a number equivalent, at the time, to 35 percent of all cars in the United Kingdom. When
World War II ended the AA began to protest about wartime petrol
rationing. The campaign was successful and rationing was repealed in
1950. This was the first of many campaigns, led by the AA, that were aimed at championing the rights of British motorists.
Other campaigns in which the AA have been instrumental, include the compulsory wearing of
seat belts, and the introduction of lead-free petrol. Seat belt legislation became law in the UK in
1983.
1949 saw the launch of the AA's breakdown and recovery service. Initially only available in London and surrounding districts, it has been gradually extended to cover most of the UK.
The
AA Insurance brokerage service started life in
1967. Today, AA Insurance is the UK's largest motor insurance company. The service was later extended to cover home and life insurance.
In
1973 AA Roadwatch began broadcasting traffic alerts on UK commercial radio stations. It grew to become the largest broadcaster of traffic information in
Europe.
AA Relay was introduced later that year, a service that promised to deliver a broken-down vehicle, its driver and passengers, luggage and trailer to anywhere in Britain.
In
1992, the
AA Driving School was launched and now employs more than 1,300 qualified driving instructors. By
1994, AA's membership was at eight million and growing. Current estimates place the figure at over twelve million members.
In
1999 the association
demutualised and was sold to
Centrica, the holding company of
British Gas. Each full personal member of the association's breakdown services in the UK and Ireland received a payout of over a hundred pounds, which, for many of them, was more than they had ever paid in membership fees. A new organisation, the
AA Motoring Trust, was formed in
2002 to take over the non-commercial activities of the AA.
In
2004 the AA was sold for
GBP 1.75 billion to two European private equity firms, CVC and Permira.
A new headquarters building for the AA, known as
Fanum House was opened in 1973 by the Queen. It is located in Basing View,
Basingstoke, north Hampshire. Whilst the AA was under Centrica control in 2001 the HQ was moved to an office in
Farnborough (also in Hampshire), but returned to Basingstoke as of October 2005 following the sale to CVC Permira.
*
AA Motoring Trust — The AA's road safety charity
*
American Automobile Association*
Royal Automobile Club*
The AA website*
AA Route Planner
