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| AAA AIMS TO GET UNSAFE CAR SEATS OFF THE ROAD AND (posted by Public Affairs on September 3 @ 08:40 ) |
| Round up your old car seats, and help keep children in Rhode Island and Massachusetts safer in the process! Through September 23, AAA Southern New England is offering a $5.00 rebate check for old, unsafe child passenger safety seats turned in to any of its 34 branches. The seats collected will be compacted and disposed of at news conferences on Thursday, September 18, in Rhode Island, and Friday, September 26, in Massachusetts. AAA¡¦s goal: to get unsafe child seats, which are often passed down or resold with an unknown history, out of circulation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in the last 30 years, more than 8 thousand lives have been saved through the proper use of child restraint seats. At these car seat bounty events, AAA Southern New England will also announce the distribution of child passenger safety kits to 150 pediatrician offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. These educational kits feature everything from stickers for children, to an informational DVD, to physician prescription pads outlining child passenger safety recommendations. The kits will provide pediatricians and family practitioners with useful information and materials to share with young patients and their parents. Both the car seat bounties and the kit distribution process help advance AAA¡¦s mission to keep child passengers ¡§seated, safe, and secure.¡¨ A child passenger safety seat is no longer safe if: ƒÞ It has already protected a child in a car crash The news conferences underscore National Child Passenger Safety Week, September 21-27. Those who contribute unsafe seats have the option of donating their $5.00 reward to the SafeKids coalition for the purchase of new child safety seats that will be distributed at child passenger safety checkpoints. AAA Southern New England is a not-for-profit auto club with 34 offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, providing more than 2 million local AAA members with insurance, finance, and auto-related services. |
| AAA Forecasts Small Decrease in Labor Day Travel (posted by Public Affairs on August 25 @ 13:05 ) |
| AAA is projecting a slight decrease in the number of Americans traveling during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend. Nearly 34.4 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend, down 0.9 percent from the 34.7 million who traveled last year. “While we are seeing a drop in travel, it is a small improvement over the Fourth of July holiday when we saw a drop of 1.3 percent. This may show that travelers are starting to respond to the recent drop in gasoline prices,” said Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Southern New England Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs. “People this holiday also seem to be traveling differently with more travelers interested in going by train, bus, and some of the traditionally lesser used transportation modes.” Approximately 28.6 million Americans (more than 83% of all holiday travelers) expect to travel by automobile, a 1.1 percent decrease from the 28.9 million who drove to their holiday destinations last year. Just under four million Americans intend to travel by airplane, a 4.5 percent decrease from last year. The remaining 1.8 million plan to travel by train, bus, or other mode of transportation, up 12.5 percent over last year. Of the 28.6 million traveling by car, 4.8 million will come from the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, a decrease of 0.5 percent from last year, the smallest decline in any region of the country. AAA Southern New England is a not-for-profit auto club with 34 offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, providing more than 2 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services. |
| AAA Urges Motorists To Slow Down, Stay Alert As Kids Head Back To School (posted by Public Affairs on August 20 @ 08:49 ) |
| Fifty-six million children across the country begin heading back to school this month, and AAA Southern New England is urging motorists to slow down and stay alert in neighborhoods and school zones with its annual School’s Open – Drive Carefully campaign. Pedestrian injury is the second leading cause of injury-related death in the United States for children ages 5 to 15, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School’s Open – Drive Carefully is a reminder for both drivers and students that the first few weeks of school is a time for extra attention as everyone re-adjusts to the school routine. AAA reminds motorists to: • Slow down in or near school or residential areas, and be sure to come to a complete stop at all intersections. • Look for clues such as AAA School Safety Patrol members, crossing guards, bicycles and playgrounds which indicate children could be in the area. • Scan between parked cars and other objects for signs that children could dart into the road. • Always stop for school buses that are loading and unloading students. It’s the law. • Leave a little early so that you are not rushed as you travel to work or school. • Drive with headlights on, even during the day, so that children and other drivers can see you. AAA Southern New England is a not-for-profit auto club with 34 offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, providing more than 2 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services. |
| AAA Predicts Slight Decrease In Fourth of July Travel (posted by Public Affairs on June 26 @ 10:04 ) |
| For the first time this decade, AAA is projecting a decline in the number of Americans traveling 50 miles or more from home during the Fourth of July travel period, according to AAA Southern New England. AAA projects that almost 40.5 million Americans will travel during the July 4th weekend, down 1.3 percent from the 41 million who traveled last year. More than 13 percent of the U.S. population will be on the road this holiday weekend despite record gas prices, with many taking advantage of travel bargains that are being offered by hotels hoping to boost last minute business. More than 34.2 million Americans (almost 85 percent of all holiday travelers) intend to travel by automobile, a 1.2 percent decrease from the 34.6 million people who drove to their holiday destinations last year. Another 4.5 million (11 percent of holiday travelers) expect to travel by airplane, a 2.3 percent decrease from 2007. The remaining 1.7 million plan to travel by train, bus or other mode of transportation. “Clearly gas prices are continuing to take a toll on the traveler’s budget, but the travel industry is continuing to respond, as they have in the past, with discounts, promotions, and other incentives to get people traveling this holiday,” said Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Southern New England Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs and New Business Development. “Travelers should look out for free gas card offerings, breakfast promotions, kids-eat-free deals, car rentals discounts, and, of course, always ask about AAA member discounts.” The top auto travel destinations for AAA members in Massachusetts and Rhode Island traveling more than 50 miles from home, based on requests for personalized AAA TripTiks, are Niagara Falls, Canada; Hershey, PA; and Montreal. Washington, DC and Mystic, Connecticut are among the top destinations for AAA’s Drive Vacation program of special trip packages. Theme parks such as Hershey Park (PA), Six Flags New England (MA), Canobie Lake (NH) and Sesame Place (PA) are also proving to be popular with AAA members in New England. AAA Southern New England is a not-for-profit auto club with 34 offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, providing more than 2 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services. |
| AAA Saddles Up For The April 19 Great Battery Round Up (posted by Public Affairs on April 11 @ 10:08 ) |
| While many motorists are aware of the need to keep their vehicles maintained to help prevent air pollution, AAA clubs nationwide are using the occasion of Earth Day in April to increase proper handling and disposal of vehicle maintenance products, especially lead-acid automotive batteries. AAA Southern New England will be holding the 2008 Great Battery Roundup on Saturday, April 19, from 9 a.m.-Noon at selected locations (Complete list attached). The AAA Great Battery Roundup is designed to encourage the public to locate stray automotive or marine lead-acid batteries and bring them to a collection point where they can be safely picked up and shipped to a recycling center and formed into new batteries. Last year, AAA collected almost 2,000 batteries, and will again donate $2.00 to Save the Bay in Rhode Island and Save the Harbor-Save the Bay in Massachusetts for every battery turned in. AAA will also provide free battery testing service to those who want their existing battery checked. “The impact of vehicle maintenance on the environment can be an overlooked aspect of responsible vehicle ownership,” said John Nardolillo, AAA Southern New England Vice President of Automotive Services. “With an estimated 230 million vehicles on the road in North America, the proper use and disposal of batteries, tires and various types of automotive fluids are crucial to a more healthy environment.” Used vehicle batteries containing both lead and sulfuric acid are a toxic danger to humans and the environment – as well as a potentially dangerous fire and safety hazard. Nearly 99 percent of a vehicle battery can be recycled and used again without removing new lead, or other natural resources from the environment. Unfortunately, some five million batteries are not returned for recycling each year. Many of these batteries are illegally disposed of in landfills and water sources, but many more are simply sitting in a forgotten corner of someone’s property where they could contaminate soil and groundwater, explode in a fire, or become a source of lead poisoning to humans and animals. AAA recommends that consumers wear gloves and safety glasses when handling batteries, keep them upright and place batteries in a cardboard box or plastic container when transporting them for recycling. If the battery case is cracked or leaking, be especially careful to choose a leak-proof container. Do not smoke near or expose batteries to an open flame, and make certain they will not shift and tip over in a moving vehicle. For more information on AAA’s environmental positions and activities, please visit the Public Affairs section of AAA.com and click on “AAA and the Environment.” AAA Southern New England is a not-for-profit auto club with 34 offices in Rhode Island and eastern and central Massachusetts, providing more than 2 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services. Battery Drop-Off Locations AAA AFFILIATED FACILITIES |