AAA Announces Membership of 50 Million at Start of Today's Daytona 500 Race.

One in Four Drivers Now Belongs to Nation's Largest Paid-Membership Group

ORLANDO, Fla. -- AAA, North America's foremost organization for all things automotive and travel, marked the start of the 49th running of the Daytona 500 today by announcing it now serves 50 million members.

The 105-year-old public service organization founded in 1902 by a handful of local automobile clubs, made the announcement at the Daytona International Speedway just prior to the start of the 49th Daytona 500, where the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion NASCAR NEXTEL Cup car was driven by rookie driver David Ragan.

Today's announcement means AAA remains the largest public service, paid-membership organization in North America; larger than many other well-known and respected organizations such as the American Association of Retired Persons, 37 million members; the National Geographic Society, 20 million members; and the national Parent Teacher Association, 6.5 million members.

"AAA and its member clubs are both honored and grateful to have the privilege of serving the largest group of consumers in North America," said Robert L. Darbelnet, AAA President and CEO, at a track-side ceremony at the Daytona International Speedway. "AAA has always prided itself on putting the needs of its members first and delivering automotive and travel solutions that inform, protect and add significant value to their everyday lives."

AAA's continuing membership growth can be attributed in part to its wide range of benefits and services that assist consumers with automobile ownership and use, leisure travel, safety, the environment, taxation, personal finance, and many others. But through the years, AAA's most basic premise has been the same: that access to safe, efficient and affordable personal transportation is a fundamental underpinning of American society.

To that end, AAA currently is working at the state or federal level for continued funding for the nation's road system; more stringent laws governing licensing of novice drivers; child passenger safety legislation covering children through age eight; and providing motorists a voice in the development of sustainable energy policies that will ensure individual mobility.

AAA also has grown into the nation's largest leisure travel agency with more than $3.6 billion in sales annually. It is also the largest provider of roadside problem solving, responding to approximately 30 million calls for help each year.

As the publisher of nearly 166 million copies of travel-related materials annually - including AAA's authoritative Maps, TourBooks, CampBooks, TripTiks, Road Atlas and retail guide books - AAA is one of the largest travel-related publishers in the world.

By introducing innovative new services, such as Internet TripTik[R] available on AAA.com, continuously developing new products, such as a mobile automotive battery testing and installation service, and increasing member savings through offerings such as its widely-used Show Your Card[R] member discount program, AAA continues to demonstrate quality and value to new members as well as those who have belonged for many years.

AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.aaa.com.