50 million members... and counting

It took 38 years for AAA to reach its 1-millionth member. The next million came much faster — in just 7 years. And AAA’s membership has continued to grow exponentially ever since, currently averaging about a million new members a year.

Since its founding in 1902, AAA has been an advocate for the motorist and traveler. While many join for the association’s emergency road service, maps and travel publications, AAA also has a broad range of travel services, member-benefit programs and public-service activities.

From a few automotive enthusiasts to 50 million members strong, AAA has come a long way. Let’s take a look at where AAA and its membership have been.

• 1902 - The Journey Begins

  On March 4, in Chicago, nine auto clubs met to form the American Automobile Association. Membership for the fledgling AAA totaled approximately 1,500.

  1902 was also the year Theodore Roosevelt became the first American president to ride in an automobile, when he rode in a Columbia Electric Victoria through Hartford, Conn. In that same year, Cuba gained independence from the United States. Golfer Bobby Jones, photographer Ansel Adams, and aviator Charles Lindbergh were born this year.

• 1940 - Breaking the Million Mark

  After nearly four decades, AAA welcomed its 1 millionth member. It also marked the first edition of AAA’s Driver Education and Training manual for high school teachers.

  Since that time, AAA has taken a leadership role in driver education. In 1997, AAA launched a nationwide campaign called Licensed to Learn, a program designed to improve teen-driver safety by raising awareness, bolstering driver education and improving the drivers-licensing process. Licensed to Learn combines 30 hours of interactive classroom instruction using DVD technology with 10 hours of behind-the-wheel training, 50 hours of self-study and adult-supervised practice sessions.

  In 1940, with the threat of World War II looming, AAA offered its services to the Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense. AAA President Thomas P. Henry was appointed consultant in the transportation unit of the Defense Council and AAA pledged resources, including highway information, to national defense planning efforts. War efforts also led to the signing of the Selective Service Act in 1940. The United States also traded 50 destroyers for leases on British bases throughout the Western Hemisphere.

  Journalists Tom Brokaw and Ted Koppel were born two days apart this year, Feb. 6 and Feb. 8, respectively. Other birthdays included race-car drivers Cale Yarborough and Mario Andretti, actors Raquel Welch and Al Pacino, and musicians John Lennon and Ringo Starr.

• 1966 - A Million Tenfold

  By the mid-1960s, AAA’s membership reached 10 million. AAA helped draft the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, setting safety standards for automobiles, tires and equipment. AAA also drafted the Highway Safety Act, specifying standards for motor-vehicle inspection and registration; motorcycle safety; driver education; driver licensing; traffic courts; highway design, construction, and maintenance; and traffic control devices.

  More than 40 years later, AAA is still a leading advocate in Washington, D.C., and in state capitols seeking to reduce crashes among our most vulnerable populations: children, teens and seniors. The association's No. 1 legislative priority in 2007 is teen driver safety. AAA has led the effort to expand graduated driver licensing to all 50 states during the last decade and continues to work to improve laws for teen drivers and encourage parent involvement in the learning process.

  Also in 1966, actor Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California. The Beatles played their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., and Gemini 10 orbited Earth with astronauts John Young and Michael Collins, setting a world altitude record of 474 miles.

• 1978 - 20 Million and Growing

  With 20 million throughout the United States and Canada, AAA had become a powerful advocate for its members. AAA used this power to obtain significant benefits for those who belonged. In 1978, AAA partnered with Visa to develop a new credit card program exclusively for AAA members. Twenty-eight years later, AAA has the oldest affinity credit card program in the country. In addition to the Visa credit card, AAA offers a full range of financial products, including auto loans and money market accounts.

  In the same year, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland became Pope John Paul II. Israel and Egypt signed the Camp David peace agreement, while the first computer bulletin board system was created in Chicago, Ill.

• 1989 - Millions 30 and 31

  In a year of tremendous growth, AAA’s membership reached 30 million by July and passed 31 million by the end of the year. During this time, AAA reversed a long-standing policy against toll roads in order to explore the use of impact fees as alternative financing for transportation.

  As in previous years, AAA continued to work to pass a transportation investment bill that ensured safety and mobility for the traveling public. AAA's Get There America message was based on a basic principle that all revenue flowing into the Highway Trust Fund must be invested in transportation programs. Adequate investment and proper maintenance in the nation's transportation infrastructure ensures the highest levels of safety and the greatest degree of mobility and efficiency for all travelers.

  Another step in advancing the mobility and efficiency of travelers was taken when the first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System were placed into orbit in 1989. On a more humorous note, Dilbert comic strip was syndicated for the first time, and television shows Seinfeld and The Simpsons premiered.

• 1997 - Membership reaches 40 million

  Toward the close of the 20th century, AAA’s strong growth continued, reaching an impressive 40 million. To enable AAA to be more accessible to members, the association launched its Web site, AAA.com.

  Through this portal, users access their local club's Web site by entering their ZIP code. AAA added several enhancements to its site in 2000, including car rental options and the award-winning Internet TripTik. In 2001, AAA added car buying assistance to the site, giving users access to information about used-car values, history, and more. Today, AAA.com offers members 24-hour access to benefits such as cruise booking, hotel reservations, online roadside assistance requests and member savings offers.

  1997 was also the year that the first book in the award-winning Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling was published. And in Carlisle, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gave birth to septuplets. It is only the second-known case where all seven babies were born alive.

• 2007 - 50 Million Members Strong - It’s Great to Belong!

  In its nearly 105 years, AAA has seen a tremendous amount of growth. However, in that time, AAA’s primary mission has not changed - providing the best services to its members, whether it’s a few thousand, 50 million - or one.