Public & Gov't Affairs / Driver Training & Safety

Winter Driving Tips

Protect yourself and your vehicle this winter season. You'll find several informative articles will provide helpful hints to weather the winter. Read more

More Choices For Motorists

A bill moving through the Massachusetts General Assembly could offer motorists a wider array of car repair options. The "Right to Repair" bill would require auto manufacturers to supply information and diagnostic tools to independent repair shops—information and tools that are currently provided only to franchised dealer service centers. Many consumers, along with the coalition backing the bill, argue that "Right to Repair" would provide motorists with more choices in the marketplace, and ultimately save them both money and time. Automakers generally oppose the bill. The Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure approved the "Right to Repair" bill in early February, and the measure is now headed to the Senate for debate. Stay tuned!

AAA SNE and Posit Science Launch DriveSharp Library Donation Program

Would you like to sharpen your driving skills? Assess how competent a driver you are? Well, help doing just that is as close as your local public library. Tuesday, November 10th, AAA Southern New England joined with California-based brain fitness company Posit Science at the Newton Free Library in Newton, MA to launch the DriveSharp Library Donation program.

The program, funded through a million dollar donation from Posit Science, and run by AAA SNE in partnership with our Pioneer and Merrimack Valley clubs, provides more than 11-thousand software licenses for DriveSharp free of charge to every public library in Massachusetts that applies for a grant: up to 25 patrons per library may register.

DriveSharp is a series of interactive, game-like computer exercises proven in independent clinical studies to improve reaction time, cut car crash risk and improve stopping distance by up to 22 feet at 55 m.p.h. For a free, on-line assessment of your crash risk, please return to the home page and click on "DriveSharp: Measure Your Crash Risk."

Protecting Pedestrians: AAA Safety Awards

Pedestrian safety is a top priority for AAA: it's estimated that in the U.S., one pedestrian is killed every two hours. With that in mind, AAA SNE recognizes police departments across Rhode Island and Massachusetts that demonstrate the longest sustained safety records when it comes to pedestrian fatalities.

In November and December, AAA hosted four awards luncheons in Providence, Rhode Island and Dedham, Worcester, and Swansea, Massachusetts, and presented plaques to police departments that have been free of pedestrian fatalities for significant periods of time – from 1 year to almost 50 years. The overall winner: the law enforcement team of Barrington, Rhode Island, which has logged no pedestrian fatalities for the last 49 years.

Slow Down, Move Over Legislation Protects First Responders

Police, firefighters, towers, and all roadside emergency assistance professionals will be safer on the job thanks to new legislation in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. “Slow Down, Move Over” requires motorists approaching an emergency situation in the breakdown lane to move to the next adjacent lane if possible, and, barring that, to reduce their speed. Every year, first responders across the country are killed and injured on the job while providing emergency help. In Massachusetts, several police officers have been injured in the last six months alone. Rhode Island's law was enacted in August 2008. The Bay State law took effect March 22, 2009, and Connecticut recently passed a law that takes effect this fall. Learn more about the new law.

Fairhaven Couple and Their Dogs Celebrate AAA National PetBook Win

Let the celebrating begin! Results are in for the latest annual AAA PetBook Photo Contest, sponsored by AAA and Best Western hotels. A family of mixed-breed dogs from Fairhaven, Massachusetts are enjoying a year of fame and glory as the "cover dogs" for the 12th edition of Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA PetBook. First-place winners Rosie, Belle, and Ortiz are featured on the book’s back cover sunning themselves at the Cape Cod Canal.

On Thursday, March 4th, AAA held an awards ceremony at Roger Williams Park celebrating the national winners. The three proud pooches, along with their owners Peter and Wendy Russell, received a $350 cash award, a $150 Best Western Travel Card, and several copies of Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook. "We travel with our pets because they are our family and we enjoy traveling with them," said Wendy.

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. You can find photos of winners, runners-up, contest rules, entry forms, and valuable pet-friendly travel tips at www.AAA.com/PetBook.

RI Bans Texting While Driving, While MA Debates

Thanks to a new law in effect November 9, it is now illegal to send a text message while driving in Rhode Island. Lloyd Albert, AAA SNE Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs, joined legislators at a recent bill signing ceremony.

Rhode Island is now the 19th state, in addition to Washington, DC, to ban texting while driving. Sending, reading or writing a text message, including an email or instant message, with any kind of data-transmission device while operating a moving motor vehicle is now punishable at the Traffic Tribunal with a fine of: $85 for the first offense; $100 for the second offense; and $125 for a third or subsequent offense.

And now, let's ban texting while driving in Massachusetts. In early February, the Massachusetts House passed a bill banning texting while driving for all motorists. Drivers under eighteen would be banned entirely from using cell phones while operating a motor vehicle. While there is widespread support for a ban on texting while driving in the Commonwealth, the measure must still be approved by the Senate. Research shows that motorists who send text messages while driving are at least eight times more likely to be involved in a crash. And a New York Times/CBS News poll reveals that 97% of all Americans support a ban on texting while driving

Legislators are considering more than a dozen different bills restricting cell phone use and text messaging while driving. Driver inattention is a key factor in the majority of crashes, and public safety advocates argue that drivers who text-message are eight times more likely to be involved in a crash.

Calling All Traffic Safety Posters

If you’re creative and care about traffic safety, the annual AAA poster contest has your name on it! The 2010 AAA Traffic Safety Poster Program is celebrating its 66th year, and through the decades, it has mobilized youngsters and teens to spread the traffic safety message through posters designed by kids, for kids.

We thank you for all the fine entries we received this year. Local judging is now complete, and both local and national winners will be announced late this Spring, following the national judging. Good luck, everyone!”