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| Drowsy Driving Is Dangerous: Stay Alert! (posted by Public Affairs on March 8 @ 12:19 ) |
| It’s time to “spring forward.” Daylight savings time arrives Sunday, March 14, And, in losing an hour, many of us also lose sleep. The message from AAA Southern New England: don’t let missed sleep make you a drowsy—and dangerous—driver. Police say that during the two weeks after we set the clocks ahead, fatal crashes jump by as much as ten percent. In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 250-thousand drivers fall asleep at the wheel each day in the United States. According to NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving is a factor in 1,550 fatal crashes each year. A National Sleep Foundation poll shows that, in the past year, almost two million drivers have been involved in a crash or a near-miss accident due to drowsiness. In fact, research shows that just one sleepless night can impair driving ability as much as a blood alcohol level of 0.10 percent—a number beyond the legal driving limit. And, like alcohol, lack of sleep also affects judgment, making it harder for drivers to realize they are impaired. Drowsy driving is impaired driving. Adults require an average of 7-8 hours of sleep each night, and teens need at least 9 hours. But studies show most Americans are sleeping only six hours nightly on average—1.5 hours less than 30 years ago. Teens are even more sleep-deprived, getting an average of three hours less sleep than they need each night. Consider the following facts: DROWSY DRIVING—WHO IS MOST AT RISK? Motorists at the highest risk for a fall-asleep crash or near-miss due to drowsy driving are: •young drivers (16-25 years, typically sleep-deprived), •commercial drivers who drive long and often late hours •shift workers and those who work double shifts or have more than one job •business travelers who experience jet-lag and cross time zones •individuals with untreated sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea) are seven times more likely to have a crash Drowsy driving is dangerous, impaired driving. It puts you, your passengers, and others on the road at risk. |
| Massachusetts Trio Are Top Dogs in AAA's National Petbook Photo Contest (posted by Public Affairs on March 2 @ 08:57 ) |
| This week, AAA is going to the dogs! Results are in for the latest annual AAA PetBook Photo Contest sponsored by AAA and Best Western. A family of mixed-breed dogs from Fairhaven, Massachusetts will enjoy a year of fame and glory as the “cover dogs” on the 12th edition Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA PetBook. First-place winners Rosie, Belle, and Ortiz are ready for their close-up. On Thursday, March 4th, 2010, at 10:00am, the trio will be at Roger Williams Park in Providence for their first appearance as top dogs. The winning photograph features the three joyful pooches visiting the Cape Cod Canal. “We travel with our pets because they are our family and we enjoy traveling with them,” said the winning pups’ human companion, Wendy Russell. Along with being pictured on the book’s back cover, Wendy and her proud pups will be presented with contest prizes including a $350 cash award, a $150 Best Western Travel Card, and will also receive several copies of Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook. Like many Americans, Wendy views Rosie, Belle, and Ortiz as full-fledged family members. Families enjoy bringing their canine or feline companions on the road, but hesitate for fear of not finding accommodations that accept four-legged friends. The new edition of Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook, available at retail locations in May, provides detailed listings of more than 13,000 pet-friendly AAA approved lodgings and campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada. Photos of winners, runners up, contest rules, entry forms, and valuable pet-friendly travel tips can be accessed at www.AAA.com/PetBook. AAA Pet Friendly Traveling Tips •Get a clean bill of health from the veterinarian and update your pet’s vaccinations. Obtain a health certificate showing proof of up-to-date inoculations, particularly rabies, distemper and kennel cough. •Ask the doctor about potential health risks at your destination (Lyme disease, heartworm infection) and the necessary preventive measures. •Reconfirm all travel plans within a few days of your departure, especially with lodgings and airlines; their policies may have changed after you made the reservations. If you plan to visit state parks or attractions that accept pets on the premises, obtain their animal regulations in advance. •For safety reasons, pets should be confined to the back seat, either in a carrier or a harness attached to the car’s seat belt. A restrained animal will not be able to break free and run away the second the car door is opened. •AAA recommends that drivers stop every two hours to stretch their legs and take a quick break from driving. Your pet will appreciate the same break. Plan to visit a rest stop every four hours or so to let him have a drink and a chance to answer the call of nature. AAA Southern New England is a not-for-profit auto club with 42 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, providing more than 2.7 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services. |
| Use of AAA Discounts Saves Members More Than $2 Billion During 2009 (posted by Public Affairs on February 11 @ 09:44 ) |
| AAA discounts, including those available through the organization’s Show Your Card & Save program, as well as discounts on hotel stays and automotive repair, saved AAA members across the country more than $2 billion in 2009, according to AAA Southern New England. AAA members that used the discounts saved an average of $93 during the year, more than the cost of a basic AAA membership. Sixty-one percent of AAA members utilized AAA discounts on everything from travel and restaurants to home electronics and prescription drugs during the year. “The difficult economic climate of the past year made saving money a necessity for many families,” said Mary C. Wyatt, AAA Southern New England Senior Vice President of Marketing and Publications. “We are pleased to know that our members are taking advantage of the discounts offered with AAA membership and we are committed to continually expanding AAA’s discount programs to offer members even more ways to save.” Hotel and motel discounts are the most commonly used AAA discounts, with seven in ten members reporting that they have ever used that type of discount. One half of all members have used travel services/product discounts and approximately one fourth have obtained discounts for attractions or theme park tickets and automotive services. AAA’s savings figures are based on AAA’s Show Your Card & Save Awareness and Usage Study. The annual survey asks members about the savings they receive from AAA’s entire portfolio of discounts including AAA Show Your Card & Save, AAA Travel Services, AAA Financial Services, and AAA Automotive. New discounts offered to members in 2009 include savings at Gap Outlet and Banana Republic Factory Stores and discounts on pet sitting services with Fetch Pet Care. In 2009, AAA also launched the AAA Discounts iPhone App, making it easier for members to find discounts. The free, GPS-based app displays Show Your Card & Save partners near user locations. AAA’s Show Your Card & Save program is the largest member discount program in the world offering more than 164,000 locations for savings worldwide including 11,000 retail locations in North America and popular online retailers including Target.com, FTD.com and more. Visit AAA.com/discounts for a complete list of retailers and offers. |
| AAA Projects Year-End Holidays Will See 3.8 Percent Increase In Travelers (posted by Public Affairs on December 16 @ 11:10 ) |
| New England Again to Exceed National Averages AAA is projecting that 87.7 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holidays. This is a 3.8 percent increase from the 84.5 million Americans who traveled during the same Christmas/New Year’s period one year ago, and is the largest projected increase for any major holiday this year. The number of travelers by automobile is expected to be 77.7 million in 2009 compared to 74.4 million last year, an increase of 4.4 percent, and is 88 percent of all projected travelers. The number of travelers by air is expected to be 4.2 million, a 2.9 percent increase over the 4.1 million last year. In both overall travel and travel by car, the New England region is projected to show significantly higher percentage increases over last year. A total of 2.9 million New Englanders plan to travel, up 12.7 percent over last year, with 2.5 million of those going by car, up 13.8 percent over 2008. “More Americans traveling during the winter holidays is another sign consumers are continuing to grow more confident in their personal financial situations,” said Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Southern New England Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs and New Business Development. “The moderate projected rise in the number of air travelers this holiday period is particularly welcome since the airline industry was hit especially hard by the recession.” Americans are expected to spend approximately $1,009 per household on travel during the Christmas/New Year’s period. The largest share of all spending will be on transportation and transportation-related charges. Approximately 11.6 percent of spending will go toward lodging, while dining and shopping will each account for 17.6 percent of spending. Entertainment and recreation expenses will account for 13.1 percent of the average travel budget. Christmas/New Year’s travelers will average 791 miles roundtrip (632 miles for New England residents) for the upcoming holiday period. AAA’s projections are based on research conducted by IHS Global Insight. The Lexington, MA-based economic research and consulting firm joined with AAA to jointly analyze travel trends during the major holidays. For purposes of this forecast the year-end holidays travel period is defined as trips that include travel of 50 miles or more away from home during the period from December 23 to January 3. |
| AAA Projects Thanksgiving Travel to Increase: New England To Have The Highest Rate Of Recovery (posted by Public Affairs on November 18 @ 11:32 ) |
| An estimated 38.4 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a 1.4 percent increase over last year when 37.8 million traveled, according to AAA Southern New England. Much of the increased travel is projected to come from the New England states, which are expected to show an overall increase of 8.8 percent over 2008. New England is also projected to lead the country in the increase in travel specifically by auto, 9.6 percent over last year. Last year, Thanksgiving travel fell 25 percent from 2007 in the wake of the ongoing housing and financial crisis. This year’s expected increase in travel reflects improved consumer confidence from one year ago, better financial market performance and a growing sense among many consumers that the worst of the global economic crisis is behind us, AAA said. “Although far too many Americans remain unemployed or under financial stress, the projected increase in Thanksgiving travel from one year ago is another hopeful sign that economic conditions are stabilizing and improving in some areas. We can also be thankful the gradual recovery we have been seeing in the U.S. travel industry since the start of the summer is continuing,” said AAA’s Lloyd P. Albert, Senior Vice President of Public / Government Affairs. Eighty-six percent of Thanksgiving vacationers are expected to travel by automobile, while only six percent say they will go by air. This year’s decrease in the number of air travelers continues a decade-long trend in which air travel as a percentage of total Thanksgiving travel has declined substantially – down 62 percent since 2000. The remaining eight percent of this year’s travelers will go by trains, bus, boats or other means – an increase of 1.2 percent from last year. AAA’s projections are based on research conducted by IHS Global Insight, a Lexington, MA-based economic research and consulting firm. For purposes of the forecast the Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as trips of 50 miles or more from home from November 25-29. The complete AAA/IHS Global Insight 2009 Thanksgiving holiday forecast can be found at www.aaa.com/news. Thanksgiving travelers from New England expect to spend approximately $457 per household this upcoming holiday weekend. With the main purpose of Thanksgiving being a special meal with family and friends, it’s not surprising that only a small percentage of the money spent will be on accommodations. Food and beverages and shopping will account for most of the spending. New England’s Thanksgiving travelers will journey an average of 387 roundtrip miles during the holiday weekend, with close to 40 percent traveling just 50-150 miles. |