Do I Get AAA?

[DCLiz]

@thucydides 86940 wrote:

Does anyone here have experience with Better World?

I’ve been a member for years. I’ve used them twice for towing services, and both times seemed comparable to my experiences with AAA. I miss the travel discounts, but can’t in good conscience support a business that actively lobbies against my interests (in addition to being anti-cycling, AAA also lobbies against public transit, safety cameras–yes I support DC’s speed/stop light cameras!–and I think they’ve even opposed things like fuel efficiency standards for vehicle fleets).

Furthermore, they actively PROMOTE things I am interested in promoting. http://www.betterworldclub.com/about-us/green-business-practices/

It’s too bad AAA has a monopoly on travel discounts.

[thucydides]

@DCLiz 87011 wrote:

I’ve been a member for years. I’ve used them twice for towing services, and both times seemed comparable to my experiences with AAA. I miss the travel discounts, but can’t in good conscience support a business that actively lobbies against my interests (in addition to being anti-cycling, AAA also lobbies against public transit, safety cameras–yes I support DC’s speed/stop light cameras!–and I think they’ve even opposed things like fuel efficiency standards for vehicle fleets).

Furthermore, they actively PROMOTE things I am interested in promoting. http://www.betterworldclub.com/about-us/green-business-practices/

It’s too bad AAA has a monopoly on travel discounts.

Hey there’s always AARP which I’m now [cough] eligible to join. It’s funny, for over 20 years now I’ve done lectures on why people join interest groups and AAA is a big part of it. I always ask who belongs to AAA. Among undergraduates it’s usually about 50% (most as part of their parents’ membership) and grad students usually about 75%. Then I ask about what AAA does politically. On what sort of issues do they lobby? Crickets or some sort of generic, “uh, highway safety?” It’s an absolutely brilliant setup AAA has. They have millions of members who pay no attention to what’s being done in their name. At the same time though I think it reduces their political effectiveness in one way because people on the Hill and in state legislatures aren’t stupid and know that AAA “members” aren’t paying attention and therefore the political consequences of opposing AAA aren’t that great. AAA simply can’t mobilize its membership like an NRA or AARP. AAA does have an outsized voice due to their resources — they can provide more sophisticated technical information about policy effects. That outsized voice — which in my opinion is almost always wrong, though I keep this opinion to myself in class — is subsidized by those of us who use AAA’s services.

[Steve]

@jonathankrall 86982 wrote:

All this is despite the fact that the over-50 crowd is very weak in its support for bicycling. For example, a June 2013 WaPo telephone poll in the DC area showed that every demographic that they allowed the data to be broken into (they had a fun on-line tool for this) showed well over 50 percent support for bike lanes except for the oldest residents. When broken down by age, the oldest bracket showed only 50 percent support for bike lanes.

My point is that, if the AARP reflected the views of its members instead of bringing their own expertise to the table, I’d drop them faster than I dropped the AAA.

Maybe you’re right. I’m not sure it’s apples to apples though. AARP is supporting these things because ultimately they think it is good for its members. Our auto-focused systems harm young people and old people the most, right? Young people can’t drive, and sometimes old people can’t either, and therefore incomplete streets affects their mobility. As a result, AARP supports complete streets and bike lanes because they are interested in helping retired people. Perhaps they are educating them as to things that might benefit them that they don’t realize, with you I agree on that.

So….the association for Retired People takes stances on issues that they think benefit Retired People (even if those members don’t think it benefits them). And the association for Automobiles takes stances on issues that they think benefit Automobiles.

To me, AAA throwing much support toward cycling is similar to AARP supporting the reduction of the drinking age. It’s not an issue that really benefits its members.

Now, I know dasgeh is going to remind me that cycling is good for drivers because it reduces congestion, and so AAA should support it even though its members may not. I know. But in MOST locations in the country, congestion really isn’t all that big an issue, and riding places probably really isn’t quicker. Even for most of us on the forum, if you don’t live in Arlington or DC proper, and very close to work, my guess is that the car commute is faster. As a result, I don’t think AAA or many drivers REALLY believe that cycling infrastructure does much for congestion. Buses or Trains would have a much greater impact, IMO. And so AAA doesn’t take stances that benefit cycling.

I don’t like AAA. I don’t like NRA. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for them to have the stances they have though, given the nature of their organization.

[KLizotte]

@Steve 87042 wrote:

I don’t like AAA. I don’t like NRA. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for them to have the stances they have though, given the nature of their organization.

Except for the fact that drivers and cyclists don’t much like interacting with one another for various reasons. As a driver, I prefer not to have cyclists in car lanes for safety and annoyance reasons though I certainly advocate for cyclist rights and am a vehicular cyclist. AAA should be for advocating for more dedicated cycling lanes/cycletracks to keep mode conflict to a minimum as well as advocating for the rationalization of laws and infrastructure across the country.

I think AAA could be useful if they actually published an article or visual aid on how to drive around cyclists lawfully and safely; it should also include a description of why cyclists do some of the things they do (e.g., riding outside the door zone) and cyclist rights and responsibilities. This could be included with every new member packet and periodically updated in their quarterly magazine. They could probably get all of this for free from LAB.

[dasgeh]

@Steve 87042 wrote:

To me, AAA throwing much support toward cycling is similar to AARP supporting the reduction of the drinking age. It’s not an issue that really benefits its members.

You know this, but I think you’re wrong here, for multiple reasons. Aside from simply congestion mitigation, there’s conflict reduction, as KLizotte more eloquently lays out. There’s also automobile safety, which benefits automobiles: complete streets are shown to be safer for everyone, cars included. I expect policy professionals to look into the data and advocate for policies that benefit their members and society, even if the benefit may not be obvious at first glance.

[DCLiz]

@Steve 87042 wrote:

To me, AAA throwing much support toward cycling is similar to AARP supporting the reduction of the drinking age. It’s not an issue that really benefits its members.

I suspect many, if not all, AAA members are also cyclists, transit users, and pedestrians, who would benefit from policies that AAA lobbies against.

[KLizotte]

@DCLiz 87071 wrote:

I suspect many, if not all, AAA members are also cyclists, transit users, and pedestrians, who would benefit from policies that AAA lobbies against.

+1

[mstone]

@dasgeh 87067 wrote:

You know this, but I think you’re wrong here, for multiple reasons. Aside from simply congestion mitigation, there’s conflict reduction, as KLizotte more eloquently lays out. There’s also automobile safety, which benefits automobiles: complete streets are shown to be safer for everyone, cars included. I expect policy professionals to look into the data and advocate for policies that benefit their members and society, even if the benefit may not be obvious at first glance.

Yup. They seem really interested in speeding and free parking and don’t really care about whether people (including their members) get killed.

[kcb203]

@acl 87007 wrote:

It’s not the expense. It’s knowing who to call who is going to be open/on call and is probably not going to axe murder you when you break down somewhere not in the vicinity of your local repair shop or at 1am when your local repair shop is closed. A smartphone serves at least a portion of that function these days, (it doesn’t really guarantee no axe murdering, but can look up “tow service” based on current location, as long as you can get a web connection), but still not everyone has a smart phone and not every location has good wireless data connections.

I don’t have it, but do I have a smart phone. And just accept the risk of being axe murdered.

If I ever do need AAA on the side of the road, can I sign up online through my smart phone and immediately use the services? That seems cheaper than paying for years and years without using their emergency services.

Edit:

I just answered my own question. If you sign up immediately, you pay a $25 surcharge for immediate service and you can’t get long-range towing within 7 days of signing up. Still seems cheaper to wait and see if you need it. Regardless, I won’t support AAA.

[KLizotte]

Cut and paste from http://midatlantic.aaa.com/membership/bicycle

[h=1]NEW Membership Benefit: Bicycle Roadside Assistance[/h] Everyone knows that AAA offers 24-hour roadside assistance for your vehicle, but now AAA covers your bicycle, too! AAA Bicycle Service is free and available to all membership levels starting May 1, 2015. There is no sign up or enrollment. AAA Members can use any of their yearly service calls for bicycle roadside assistance. If your bicycle breaks down while you’re out for a ride, simply call the road service number on your AAA card (1-800-222-4357).

[h=2]Benefits:[/h]

• There is no additional charge to Members for bicycle coverage. Any of the Members roadside assistance calls can be used for bicycles
• AAA Bicycle coverage is included in all membership levels – Basic, Plus, Premier & RV!
• The bicycle towing mileage is the same as vehicle towing mileage – 3 miles for Basic, 100 miles for Plus/Premier and one 200 mile tow for a Premier household.

[h=2]Coverage & Restrictions:[/h]

• Member must be present at the time of service and have a valid AAA Mid-Atlantic card.
• Bicycle service is not available to Members of other AAA clubs.
• Bicycle service applies to all 2-wheeled bicycles, including rental bicycles & tandem/trailers pulled by bicycles.
• Bicycle service is limited to transporting a bicycle (Back home, to bike repair shop etc.) due to breakdown disablement. Mechanical repairs not included, including bicycle lock service.
• Service is provided only along a normally traveled road or street.
• AAA Bicycle Service is provided to AAA Mid-Atlantic Members only within the AAA Mid-Atlantic territories.*
• Bicycle service is provided for the rider whose bicycle is disabled and accompanying minors.

View our Bicycle FAQs *AAA Mid-Atlantic proudly serves Members in Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C. and parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia.
To see the full list of counties in these states, click here.
[h=1]Bicycle Safety[/h] [IMG]http://midatlantic.aaa.com/membership/%7E/media/D0F798F8EBB64FC8A6E2FE7BC8A17DC8.ashx[/IMG]AAA has a long history of bicycle safety and sharing the road with motorists, and we will continue to seek ways to improve both the dialogue and attitudes necessary to share roads safely. By offering our bicyclist Members many of the same emergency rescue services we offer motorists, we are taking a big step forward to helping cyclists—and all those who share the roads with them—to be safe.
To further these goals, the Mid-Atlantic Foundation for Safety and Education has created the following web site:
CLICK HERE to view videos and learn more about Bicycle Safety.

In addition, AAA developed ShareTheRoad.AAA.com to provide organized reliable bicycle safety and maintenance information in one convenient place. Even if you would rather travel on four wheels, this site offers quick refreshers on how motorists can help keep all roadway users safe.

[83b]

I wonder if they’ll be at Freedom Plaza for Bike to Work Day again this year? It might be worth dropping by to let them know (again!) that so long as they maintain lobbying efforts that run so completely counter to my interests (and continue to employ John Townsend!), I wouldn’t sign back up even if they offered to follow me around in a race support vehicle!

[dasgeh]

I love this:
@KLizotte 114572 wrote:

[*]Bicycle service is provided for the rider whose bicycle is disabled and accompanying minors.

I also wonder how long until they have a call for a cargo bike that they can’t handle with the first vehicle they send.

[mstone]

I’m pretty sure that AAA mid-atlantic is still the devil.

[KLizotte]

At least it is a step in the right direction and is indicative of pressure or recognition that many of their members are cyclists. Unfortunately, it usually takes 1+ hours for a repair truck to arrive which may not be very useful if your bike breaks down.

[mattotoole]

@mstone 114585 wrote:

I’m pretty sure that AAA mid-atlantic is still the devil.

I’m not so sure. It may be just Lon Anderson — a hack of a flack who knows he can get press by picking on bikes. Then they make up for it (?) by giving the League some money and a nice PSA. Sooner or later their board will figure out that talking out both sides of one’s mouth is not a winning strategy, and Lon will be gone. I wish the BikeArlington movie hadn’t given him such airtime.

Anyway, look at Better World Club.

[Author]

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