The History of the AA

The History of the AA
29th June 1905. A group of car enthusiasts met in a restaurant called Trocadero which was located in the West End of London. The meeting created the Automobile Association (or AA for short), boasting a meager 100 members. The original intent for the group was to provide support and guidance to car drivers throughout the UK. Bigger, faster, and nosier cars were rapidly appearing on the UK roads which would often upset other drivers.

The motoring act 1903 introduced speeding fines to UK car drivers for the first time. When caught speeding motorists would receive (as well as a fine) an endorsement which would appear on their driving license. One of the first priorities for the AA was to help motorists to avoid police speed traps and the subsequent sine and endorsement that would follow.

In 1906 the AA members created thousands of road signs, warning motorists of any dangers that existed. These were the UK's first roadside signs. The AA took responsibility for producing and erecting roadside signs un the UK until the 1930's when legislation made local council authorities responsible for roadside signs in their area. The AA continued erecting their own roadside signs which can still be seen today and are easily recognisable as they are yellow and often direct car drivers to major events and tourist attractions.

In 1907 AA members on bicycles became their first ever car breakdown patrols - it would have been too expensive for them to use cars so they had to make do with bikes. They were aptly named "cycle scouts", patrolling town and city streets, and would often warn motorists about approaching speed traps. They would assist drivers who's car had broken down by completing minor roadside repairs or cycling for further assistance if they could not repair the car themselves. Within two years there were over 1,000 'cycle scouts' on the UK streets, all wearing a standard AA uniform.

1908 saw the first publication of the AA Members Handbook. Traveling by car was becoming increasingly popular (although nothing compared to today's standards). The AA appoint 'recommended' local vehicle repairers throughout the UK, and publish their details within the handbook.

In 1909 the AA launched it's free legal assistance which would offer legal support to car drivers who were being prosecuted for incidents that had occurred while they were behind the wheel of their car.
In 1910 an AA patrolman was prosecuted for obstruction a policeman after he flagged down an approaching motorist and warned him of a police speed trap further down the road. The historic 'Betts v Stevens' case was quite famous and the police hoped the outcome would deter the AA from warning drivers about speed traps, but it didn't. Instead the AA introduced a signaling system where by AA patrols would wave at any approaching vehicle which displayed the prominent yellow AA badge. If there was a speed trap ahead the AA patrol man would not acknowledge the driver, which would act as notification of the impending speed trap. Because the AA were technically not warning the driver of the speed trap, they could then not be prosecuted for it. This system continued until the late 60's.

1910 also saw the AA produce it's first car road map. It was initially handwritten, with routes and points of interest often added. By the late 1920's there were over 7,000 maps in circulation including maps of European countries.

In 1912 the AA started to inspect hotels and restaurants, and giving them a start rating based on the quality. These were later added the AA Members Handbook.

By 1914 the AA had over 83,000 members. In addition to the traditional bicycle patrols the AA introduced motorbike patrols, allowing it to respond to breakdowns more quickly and in areas that were previously not accessible. Addition of motorbike sidecars, the AA were able to equip their patrols with more tools, allowing them to repair more cars at the roadside.

1920 saw the AA begin the introduction of the roadside phone. This would allow car drivers to call for help in the event of a breakdown.

The road traffic act of 1930 abolished the 20mph speed limit which had been in force in the UK since 1896. The road traffic act 1934 then introduced a 30mph speed limit for urban areas, although speedometers were not a legal requirement in vehicles until 1937. The AA continued it's fight to help motorists avoid police speed traps, and assisted those who had been caught in them.

By 1938 the AA had almost fully replaced the bicycle patrols with the motorbike side car patrols, with up to 1,500 of them on patrol at any one time. The AA's breakdown recovery patrolmen would start their day in a central location, and then set out on a pre determined route looking for broken down and stranded motorists.
By the end of 1939 the AA had 725,000 members, which equated to approximately 35% of the cars on the UK roads. After world war 2 had ended, petrol rationing continued, and as the AA had done previously, they led the protests against this. Eventually they proved successful when in 1950 the rationing was lifted. As soon as the war ended the number of cars on the UK roads continued to increase, and so did the number of AA members.

1949 saw the introduction of four wheel patrols following the purchase of a fleet of Land Rover cars. These 4x4 cars were perfect for the job, as they offered the AA patrolmen the ability to carry significantly more equipment than the motorbikes could, they could also attend breakdowns in hard to reach places (including off-road), in all weathers. The next 20 years saw the AA gradually replace their fleet of patrol motorbikes with 4 x 4 cars and vans.

The AA also introduced their fleet to a revolutionary technology which was very new at the time; the two way radio. This revolutionised the service that the AA could offer. Thanks to this technology, the AA were able to offer their first night time patrols throughout London from 1949, a service that quickly expanded to the rest of the UK.

In the 1970's commercial radio stations were really taking off, so in 1973 the AA launched "AA Roadwatch" which is a traffic update broadcast via radio stations. AA Roadwatch is now Europe's biggest broadcaster of traffic updates. In this same year the AA launched a new car breakdown product known as 'AA relay', where they would transport a members broken down car, and contents to any UK mainland destination, innovation which competitors soon followed.

In 1967 the AA launched it's insurance brokerage arm which has expanded steadily ever since, selling not only car insurance, but home, and travel insurance too. Services are offered to the whole market and not just to AA members.

In 1973 the AA moved home, from it's historic former head office location in London's Leicester Square which had been home since 1908, to Basingstoke in Hampshire. The AA continued it's tradition of campaigning about motoring issues, when in 1983 legislation was passed making it mandatory to wear a seatbelt while in a moving car. They also campaigned heavily for the introduction of lead free petrol.
In 1992 the AA launched it's driving school franchise, which has expanded to have around 1,800 instructors today. The AA also rapidly expanded it's list of publications of maps and travel guides covering locations across the UK and through out the world. The AA are now a world leader in the field of travel publications, with titles in 29 languages.

By 1994 AA membership was just over 8 million and in 1999 their members voted the de-mutualise, so the company was sold to Centrica for £1.1 billion. Following this deal the AA moved it's home once more, relocating it's head office to Farnborough, Hampshire.

In 2002 the AA Motoring Trust was founded in order to continue the non commercial activities of the group. 2003 saw the introduction of the AA mobility service, which won the insurance times innovation of the year award. Any customer with comprehensive cover now receives a free courtesy car after a breakdown that cannot be repaired at the roadside.

2004 saw the introduction of the AA online route planner, one of the UK's most popular free online route planning services. By entering your start location and your destination, the service will provide you with step by step instructions, map, distances and approximate timescales for each leg of the journey.
Also in 2004, the AA launched the AA buyers guide, a guide to help car drivers when they are purchasing either a new or used car. The travel books under the brand "Key Guide" were released, as well as the AA Telephone Savings Account.

In 2005 the AA was sold once more in a deal worth £1.75 billion in a joint deal with European private equity firms CVC and Permira. This deal represented a significant profit on the sum paid by Centrica a short 6 years earlier. This deal resulted in the AA moving it's head office back to Basingstoke once more.
2006 saw the AA continue it's fight against speed traps, by including the locations of speed cameras on it's maps and road atlases.

In 2007 CVC and Permira merged with Saga. During the deal the AA was valued at £3.35 billion. In 2008 the AA had over 15 million members, and attended 3.6 million breakdowns.

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