Latest News
Press releases from the AA
2008
(02 July 2008) top ten travel tips from the AA and Port of Dover 
The UK's largest motoring organisation and one of the world's busiest ferry terminals have come up with top ten "musts" for drivers to remain safe and legal with driving on mainland Europe this summer.
(26 June 2008) Latest road casualty figures published
The AA welcomes the major milestone that has been reached with the reduction of road deaths to below 3,000 for the first time.
(25 June 2008) Diesel breaks through £6-gallon
Average diesel prices across the UK broke through the £6-gallon barrier yesterday, hitting 132.03 pence per litre. The average price of petrol also hit a record of 118.65 pence per litre.
(24 June 2008) AA/Populus - Members blame government for fuel prices
Three quarters of AA members don't think that any of the three main political parties are "motorist friendly" and two thirds say they'll vote for a different government if the price of fuel rises to between 125 – 149 p per litre.
(20 June 2008) AA introduces cycle-based breakdown Patrols at Wimbledon
Wimbledon fans can be forgiven for doing a double take if their car breaks down at this year's tournament and the AA turns up to fix it – on a bicycle.
(18 June 2008) June fuel price report - record diesel rise
Average UK prices for diesel rose by a record amount, beating last month's record increase. The price of petrol at UK pumps also rose by its highest-ever margin, the AA's Fuel Price Report for June reveals.
(16 June 2008) Tanker driver strike begins to have greater impact and causes confusion at the pumps
AA patrols in Wales and the South West have today begun reporting more widespread shortages and queuing at the pumps.
(12 June 2008) Petrol queues cost drivers £1000s
Drivers queuing at petrol stations for fear of shortages could collectively lose thousands of pounds and waste tonnes of fuel needlessly, warns the AA. While most of the UK kept its head yesterday, drivers in a few areas queued unnecessarily.
(11 June 2008) Midlands is Caravan Bermuda Triangle
Empty spaces on driveways and disappearances from storage sites are common across the UK with around 4,0001 British caravans vanishing every year according to data from AA Caravan Insurance.
(10 June 2008) UK dealers slip up with anti-skid technology
A dealer in southern England is one of Europe's leading advocates of life-saving ESC anti-skid technology. However, most of the rest do a woefully poor job in promoting the benefits of a safety feature that can cut deaths in collisions by 25 per cent, a survey for the AA has found.
(9 June 2008) Manchester transport boost - AA response
An AA/Populus panel poll of 17500 motorists last month showed that 67% of motorists would vote against local road charging systems if there was a local referendum. The opposition rose to 72% in the Manchester area.
(3 June 2008) Road condition is worse than a decade ago
Two-thirds of AA members across Britain say road surfaces are in a worse state than they were 10 years ago. Forty per cent said they were much worse, according to the latest results from the AA/Populus panel.
(30 May 2008) AA/Populus Panel - fix the roads not the drivers
Almost three quarters of AA members believe that roads would be safer if money was spent improving accident black spots rather than more traffic police or more speed cameras, according to the latest survey of driver opinion from the UK's biggest dedicated motoring panel.
(22 May 2008) Petrol hike costs bank holiday travellers £110 million
As petrol prices continue to soar, the average bank holiday car journey looks set to cost the nation's drivers £110 million more this year compared to last year, according to the AA.
(21 May 2008) Diesel prices have risen by their highest margin this century
In the past month, diesel prices have risen by their highest margin this century and are now almost 12 pence per litre more expensive than petrol. High oil prices, breaking through the $125 mark, have also fuelled a near-record rise in petrol prices.
(21 May 2008) AA Home Start from Home
AA employees are saving 90,000 litres of fuel or 620,000 miles commuting each year by working from home, according to the AA president in a keynote speech at the Workwise UK summit in London today.
(16 May 2008) Mobile phone offenders face hidden £5.4m cost
Police forces are not the only ones cracking down on motorists who risk lives by using hand-held mobile phones. Motor insurers are now showing support by increasing the premiums quoted for offenders - or even refusing cover, according to new data from the AA.
(16 May 2008) Deer road crashes - dos and don'ts
Drivers who ignore deer warning signs or drive at speed along rural roads at this time of year make themselves an endangered species, warns the AA. More than 150 people are killed or injured each year in road accidents with deer.
(09 May 2008) Cost of motoring rises 11 per cent
Soaring fuel prices, heavy loss of resale value and increased insurance costs have sent the average cost of running a car in the UK up 11% in the past year, AA Motoring Costs 2008 reveal. Farmers and rural drivers with 'workhorse' 4x4s have seen their costs rise more than 22%.
(02 May 2008) Champions League travel advice
Fans of Chelsea and Manchester United who are unable to get a flight to Moscow for the Champions League final on 21 May 2008 are advised to go by boat and/or train, rather than attempt to drive, says the AA.
(02 May 2008) May bank holiday travel advice
With changeable weather predicted for the weekend, as well as carefully planning your journey, we always recommend making key preparations before hitting the road.
(28 April 2008) AA members don't trust government to deliver fair road pricing
Eighty six per cent of AA members do not trust the government to deliver a fair system of road pricing even though 42% support the principle of pay as you go, according to the results of the biggest dedicated motoring panel in the UK released today by the AA.
(23 April 2008) UK drivers kept in the dark over tunnel safety
In the year that the UK Government failed to report tunnel condition and improvement plans to the EU, an annual independent survey of tunnels across the Continent has produced the worst result for five years.
(23 April 2008) Grangemouth strike - AA comment/advice
With good management and coordination of fuel supplies, there is no reason to believe that motorists in Scotland and Northern Ireland will suffer significant shortages if the Grangemouth dispute goes long term.
(22 April 2008) Taking to the racetrack- AA launches Caterham Roadsports Challenge Team
The AA's Caterham Roadsport Challenge cars will be driven by Steve Ives, the AA's manager of Road Operations Public Sector Development and Scott Illman, an AA patrol from Southampton. As with all drivers in the Caterham Roadsport Challenge, both Steve and Scott are novice racing drivers.
(21 April 2008) AA members call for cut to drink drive limit - first results from AA/Populus panel
Two thirds of AA members support calls for a reduction in the drink drive limit, according to the results of the biggest dedicated motoring panel in the UK released today.
(17 April 2008) UK fuel price misery with £5 gallon round the corner
The £5 gallon seems likely to be coming to a garage near you soon, according to the AA's latest fuel price report.
(17 April 2008) Insurance premiums stall - AA Index finds
Premium hikes widely predicted for both car and home insurance because of increasing costs and the aftermath of last year's flooding are not being realised, the latest benchmark AA British Insurance Premium Index reveals.
(16 April 2008) AA Travel Insurance Supports BA Customers
The AA has expressed surprise that some insurance companies are withdrawing cover for delay and loss of baggage at Heathrow's new Terminal 5.
(16 April 2008) Cut traffic queues to cut CO2
Cutting queuing time by just one minute per day on three major roads leading into a city could save more CO2 than switching off 2000 streetlights across a county, AA research has found.
(8 April 2008) Mucky Motorists Urged to Clean up Their Acts
Over 4 million cars on UK roads are only cleaned out once a year or less... creating unhygienic and dangerous driving conditions. The startling figure is highlighted in research released today by the AA, to draw attention to the dangers of these 'clutter cans' and encourage motorists to get cleaning.
(3 April 2008) AA Patrols get on two wheels to improve service to members
Chronic congestion has reached record levels in some cities, so the AA is introducing patrols on electric scooters and motorbikes to tackle the problem.
(31 March 2008) New Parking Rules - 10 Commandments for Local Authorities
With new parking regulations in force from 31 March the AA has published the following ten commandments to remind local authorities of their responsibilities under the new rules.
(18 March 2008) Easter weekend cracks up over school holidays
One in five motorists (19%) in the UK will still hit the roads this Easter weekend, despite forecasts of bad weather and unusual Spring term timings for schools, new research from the AA reveals.
(15 March 2008) Traffic cones come out of hibernation
March is traditionally the worst time for traffic cones and road works, according to the AA today. New regulations to help coordinate roadworks come into force from 1 April 2008 but the AA questions how effective the changes will be.
(12 March 2008) AA Budget Response
The AA described the Chancellor's decision to defer the threatened 2p per litre increase in fuel duty until October as "temporary relief" which may help to quell "panic at the pumps".
(11 March 2008) AA Budget Brief
The "2p or not 2p" budget tomorrow is a test of whether the Government is in touch with the people and understands the real impact of high fuel prices on families and the economy, according to the AA. The AA has suggested that the Chancellor should, at the very least, defer the threatened two pence per litre duty increase tomorrow.
(10 March 2008) Reduced mileage allowances will threaten vulnerable patients
If volunteer driver mileage allowances are slashed in the Budget, vulnerable patients could be left with no way to get to hospital, warns the AA today. Essential rural community services would also suffer.
(7 March 2008) AA questions Government on "missing" transport funds
The Government should scrap the proposed increase in fuel duty at the Budget next week and come clean about reneged promises to ring-fence real term increases in fuel duty for roads and transport, according to the AA today. The AA raised the fuel duty issue at a meeting with the Exchequer Secretary to The Treasury earlier this week and pointed out that diesel is 20p per litre more expensive today than the same time last year.
(4 March 2008) Motorway hard-shoulder running extended - AA response
We are pleased that at last the government has plans to tackle congestion. Controlled use of the hard-shoulder at peak periods at congestion hot-spots will improve journey reliability. However hard-shoulder running should not be a total substitute for widening strategic parts of the motorway network
Mums and dads around the UK are clocking up over 1,600 miles per year acting as a free taxi service for their children, according to research released today by AA Insurance.
Motorists may be in for a shock when they receive parking tickets in the post or tickets for offences they did not know existed, when new parking regulations come into force on March 31, according to the AA responding to the Government's guidance on Civil Parking Enforcement issued today.
(26 February 2008) Drivers baffled by number plate classification
Half of British drivers can't tell the age of a car by its number plate while one in five don't even recognise the current style of car number plate, according to new research from AA Personal Loans.
(26 February 2008) The leap year effect
The extra day that this year's Leap Year brings us will probably pass most people by without leaving too much of a mark. For the majority of people Friday 29th February will just be another day, however, data from the AA reveals that the extra day could actually have more effect on people than they realise.
(23 February 2008) Car share lanes can waste road capacity
In theory car share lanes make sense but in practice they are underused and abused. Hence they waste road capacity and are a nightmare to enforce.
(21 February 2008) The seven kinds of motorist in distress
From Motor Mouths to Mindful Mums, the AA has collaborated with its patrols to identify the seven most common types of driver found on the nation's highways and byways today, with the insight being used to train all new recruits in the art of customer care.
(11 February 2008) AA demands chancellor should abandon 2p fuel tax increase
The Chancellor should abandon his plans for a 2p litre fuel duty hike at the March 12 Budget as he has already made an extra £4bn in increased revenues from fuel in the last 12 months, according to the AA today.
(31 January 2008) European pedestrian crossings survey
Great Britain has the third worst rate of pedestrian fatalities on roads out of 10 European countries studied in the latest EuroTest report into pedestrian crossings, released by the AA today. Once population is taken into account, Great Britain kills about twice as many pedestrians as Sweden and the Netherlands.
(25 January 2008) Car Saleswomen more Trustworthy than Men
Forget buying a motor from Swiss Toni or Phil's Car Lot, new research reveals that Lorraine Kelly and Paula Radcliffe are amongst the celebrities most British drivers would trust to sell them a reliable vehicle - and overall, Britons are more likely to trust a female car salesperson.
(25 January 2008) Fuel for thought– 20 mph roads pump up CO2 emissions by 10%
Cutting the speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph on the wrong roads can pump up CO2 emissions by more than 10 per cent, AA research has discovered. The UK's leading motoring organisation is now warning local authorities that some well-intentioned safety schemes may backfire in environmental terms.
(18 January 2008) January fuel price report – diesel closes in on £5 gallon
Average UK diesel prices have closed to within 3.5 pence of the £5 gallon - the first time ever for a mainstream UK fuel, the latest AA Fuel Price Report reveals. Diesel now costs a record 109.24 pence per litre while petrol has also reached a new all-time high, averaging 104.28 pence per litre across the country.
(14 January 2008) Changes to Civil Parking Enforcement
On 1 April 2008 significant changes take place to civil parking enforcement. This is parking enforcement undertaken by local authorities rather than the police. As parking attendents become known as Civil Enforcement Officers, changes include the introduction of two levels of penalty, whilst Local Authorities will be able to serve penalty notices by post.
(7 January 2008) Hamsters to Fairies – all in a day's work for an AA Patrol
If a funny squeak develops in your car, it's not necessarily a squealing fan belt or sticking brake – sometimes the cause is a little more out of the ordinary. Over the twelve days of Christmas, some of the AA's dedicated patrols attended a few rather more unusual call-outs.
(2 January 2008) Fuel price update
Petrol in the UK starts the New Year at a record high price of 103.03 pence per litre according to AA Public Affairs, overtaking the previous all-time high of 102.92 set on Boxing Day 2007.