May 6, 2008 4 min read

The beginning of May marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of AAA’s national traffic safety programs, which have helped teach generations of children and adults how to be safer drivers and protect them from crashes. Well known as the nation’s largest organization for motorists, AAA was a pioneer in national traffic safety initiatives beginning with the establishment of its national traffic safety department in 1928.

“AAA is committed to the safety and security of motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and children,” according to Terri Rae Anthony, Safety Advisor, AAA East Central. “Over the past 80 years AAA has been at the forefront in the development of programs to protect our members and the traveling public. We continue that commitment today through our traffic safety and driver improvement programs and advocacy efforts addressing key issues such as child passenger safety, senior mobility and teen driver safety.”

Since the AAA School Safety Patrol started in 1920 and the first driving training was developed in 1935, AAA’s legacy of traffic safety programs have continued and grown. Through the years, AAA has added programs to address important issues such as child passenger safety, teen and senior drivers, seatbelt usage and air bag safety.

Today, AAA offers a wide array of traffic safety programs to address the issues affecting its more than 51 million members as well as other drivers across North America, including:

·      Driver Education – AAA offers driver improvement programs for drivers at all levels of experience, from pre-permit and novice drivers to mature operators. AAA also provides parents instruction and guidance on teaching their teens to drive, as well as a network of approved driving schools.

·      Child Passenger Safety – AAA is a strong advocate for child passenger safety and has a long-term commitment to reducing injuries and deaths through its Seated, Safe & Secure campaign initiated in 2002. Through the initiative, AAA has worked to close loopholes in child restraint laws across the nation and educate the public about proper use of child restraints. AAA clubs have also been active in local communities promoting child passenger safety.

·      Senior Mobility – AAA announced its Lifelong Safety Mobility initiative in 2003 to address the mobility needs of our country’s growing senior population. Since then, AAA has launched a suite of senior programs as part of the initiative.

AAA Roadwise Review is a computer-based screening which allows seniors to measure in the privacy of their own home the eight functional abilities shown to be the strongest predictors of crash risk among older drivers. CarFit, an educational program developed by the American Society on Aging in collaboration with AAA, AARP and AOTA, helps mature drivers find out how well they “fit” with their vehicles, and what actions might be taken to improve their fit. AAA’s Smart Features for Mature Drivers educates on a broad range of vehicle features that help address health issues frequently faced by seniors, such as arthritic hands, diminished vision and loss of upper body strength.

·      In-School Programs – AAA offers several in-school traffic safety programs, including the AAA School Safety Patrol program and National School Traffic Safety Poster program, which both date back more than 60 years. Each fall, AAA also conducts an annual School’s Open-Drive Carefully public education campaign to remind motorists and students of the importance of school-zone safety.

Schools and community organizations interested in scheduling a AAA Safety Program should contact the Club’s safety department at (412) 365-7211.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit organization with 85 local offices in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and New York, servicing 2.5 million members.

Key Dates in AAA’s Traffic Safety History

1902      Nine motor clubs meet in Chicago to form the American Automotive Association

1920      AAA School Safety Patrol program gets underway

1928      AAA National Traffic Safety department established

1935      AAA pioneers driver education

1936      First AAA club owned and operated commercial driving school opens in Pennsylvania

1937      Pedestrian Protection Program introduced

      First edition of How to Drive manual published

1945      National School Traffic Safety Poster Program begins

1949      School Safety Patrol Lifesaving Award program initiated

1982      AAA’s Safe Driving for Mature Operators course introduced

1989      AAA and other safety groups persuade federal government to require lap/shoulder safety belts in rear seats of all passenger vehicles

1996      Teaching Your Teens to Drive: A Partnership for Survival driver education programs introduced

1997      ABC’s of Air Bag Safety education campaign reaches more than 31 million children

2002       Seated, Safe and Secure child passenger safety initiative launched

2003      Lifelong Safe Mobility senior mobility initiative launched

2006      AAA launches online driver improvement courses