AAA

DEARBORN, Mich., June 24, 2008 – The automotive technicians of tomorrow will be honing their skills today as they compete in the annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

Highlights:
* 100 high school auto tech students from across the country will compete in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals today from 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. EDT at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn.
* The winning team will win scholarships and the chance to work for a week with the renowned Roush Fenway Racing team.
* Employment for automotive services technicians is estimated to increase 14 percent between 2006 and 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

May 21, 2008 -- Despite cool weather along the East Coast over the past several weeks, Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to the summer driving season is upon us. Some may interpret recent increases in gasoline prices as yet another manifestation of a long-standing tendency for gasoline prices to rise dramatically in the days before the holiday weekend.

The numbers from the last few years do not, however, support this view. Daily gasoline prices from the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) Fuel Gauge Report show that prices have actually fallen slightly in the week preceding the Memorial Day holiday over the past four years (2004-2007), after having risen earlier in the month of May.

Gasoline Prices Tend to Decrease in the Days Before Memorial Day

Don't Wreck Your Summer Road Trip

Orlando, Fla., 5/21/2008 -- The summer vacation season kicks off this month with the Memorial Day weekend, and millions of Americans will hit the road in the coming months en route to their summer getaways. AAA notes that ensuring your summer road trip goes smoothly starts well before you take to the highway.

No one wants to spend their vacation stranded on the roadside, but last summer AAA responded to more than seven million calls for roadside assistance from June to August.

ORLANDO, Fla., April 30, 2008 /PRNewswire - USNewswire/ -- This week 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 has been a pioneer in national traffic safety initiatives beginning with the establishment of its national traffic safety department in 1928.

30 Years Later

Washington, D.C., 1/17/2008 -- Thirty years after the enactment of the nation’s first child safety seat law, a new survey shows parents strongly support child safety seats and child seat laws.

Yet nearly 100 children under age 5 die every year in crashes they could have survived if they had been using child safety seats, said AAA in calling for states to close gaps in their child passenger safety laws.

Washington, D.C., Jan. 15, 2008 -- Statement by Robert L. Darbelnet, President and CEO, AAA:

AAA looks forward to thoroughly reviewing the Commission’s report. We have been saying for some time now that American needs a new vision for how the nation’s transportation system is planned, funded and implemented. The Commission is making a strong recommendation for change and we applaud its effort.

Inclement weather can pose challenges for even the most experienced driver

Orlando, Fla., 12/17/2007 -- Because more crashes involving property damage occur during the winter months than at any other time, AAA encourages motorists to prepare for adverse cold weather driving conditions with three main steps—prepare your vehicle; plan your journey in advance with a service such as the AAA’s TripTik® Travel Planner; and be cautious while on the road.

Prepare Your Vehicle

First, make sure your vehicle is prepared for winter driving. AAA offers the following tips for motorists departing on winter road trips:

* Have the battery and charging system tested. A fully charged battery in good condition is required to start an engine in cold weather.

Washington, D.C., 12/17/2007 -- AAA estimates that 65.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday period, only a 0.7 percent increase from last year’s 64.7 million travelers. However, for those planning to travel during the last holiday season of the year, expect gasoline prices and airfares well above last year’s levels.

AKRON, Ohio, November 8, 2007 – As American drivers begin to think about increased holiday travel in coming weeks, the cost of fueling the family car is higher than it has ever been in November. With this in mind, officials at the country’s largest tire manufacturer, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, are reminding motorists to seek an often overlooked cost advantage at the pump – the air pump.

Tires’ importance at the gas pump is growing as gas prices climb. As of November 7, average U.S. retail gasoline prices had jumped by more than 84 cents versus year-earlier prices, according to the AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. The pump price had risen to a nationwide average of $3.043 per gallon (regular grade), and as high as a $3.312 per gallon average on the west coast.

Waiting until tire pressure warning light comes on can be dangerous for motorists

Orlando, Fla. - 10/30/2007 -- As 2008 model year vehicles hit the road, motorists will find they are equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) that illuminate an on-dash warning light when the pressure in one or more tires is low. However, AAA warns motorists that the TPMS should not replace monthly tire pressure checks.

Federal law mandates that all 2008 and newer vehicles must be equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system. However, the systems are calibrated not to trigger the warning light until a tire is at least 25 percent under inflated—well below the pressure required for safe driving.