Know AAA

> New discounts on shoes and clothing
> Free maps for schools
> Tip for first-time cruisers
> October is Car Care Month
> Follow AAA discounts on Twitter and iPhone
> Colorado team wins 2nd prize at Auto Skills Nationals
> Halloween Horror Nights
> Documentary highlights road trip history
> Understanding insurance company ratings

MEMBER SAVINGS

New discounts on shoes and clothing

Savvy shoppers can take advantage of more buying power when they show their AAA card to save. This fall, we have some new savings partners as well as plenty of great offers from old favorites.

Shoes.com offers AAA members 20% off most brand name shoes, including sale and clearance items. To get the discount, you must access their website through www.AAA.com/shopnow.
From Sept. 2–6 only, get 40% off your total purchase at all U.S. Reebok and Rockport outlet stores.
Get 15% off regular-priced clothing and accessories at New York & Company.
Get 5% off all online Kmart orders placed through www.AAA.com/shopnow.
Gap Outlet (including Baby Gap Outlet and Kids Gap Outlet) and Banana Republic Factory Store now offer 10% discounts to AAA members on all purchases, including sale items.
10% off regular-priced shoes and accessories at Payless ShoeSource.
Looking for a gift for a sports fan? Use your AAA 15% discount at the NBA and NFL online stores when shopping through www.AAA.com/shopnow.

For a complete list of companies that offer AAA discounts, visit www.AAA.com/discounts.

ADVOCACY

Free maps for schools

Each year, AAA Colorado updates its map inventory and donates surplus maps to interested Colorado schools. Maps make great interactive teaching tools, and we have a wide variety of titles available this year.

The maps come in units of 100 so every student can have their own. Educators can order up to four units for a single shipping and handling charge of $8.00.

To request maps, print out and mail this form (PDF). Allow four to six weeks for delivery. Offer is good while supplies last.

TRAVEL

Tip for first-time cruisers

Here’s a hint from experienced cruise passengers—when you first arrive on the ship, it will take a while (sometimes hours) before your checked bags are delivered to your stateroom. Bring a change of clothes and a swimsuit in your carry-on bag so you can hit the pool or other shipboard attractions while your fellow passengers are still waiting to unpack.

AUTOMOTIVE

October is Car Care Month

It’s that time of year when Colorado weather becomes even more unpredictable than usual, and your car needs to be in top condition to make the transition seamless.

October is Car Care Month, when visiting your mechanic for maintenance and a safety inspection is vital. Have your tires checked, along with fluid levels, brakes, lights, battery, hoses, belts and windshield wipers before the first winter snow catches you by surprise. During October, many AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities offer discounts or free safety checks to AAA members.

Proper maintenance and regular inspections can extend the life of a car and provide a measure of safety to the driver as well. Catching a weak belt now may save the cost of an expensive repair later.

For information about AAA Car Care Month, visit http://aaacolorado.com/automotive, or see pages 40-41 in the July/August printed magazine for a list of Approved Auto Repair facilities in Colorado.

MEMBER SAVINGS

Follow AAA discounts on Twitter and iPhone

More than 160,000 locations worldwide offer discounts to AAA members. Twitter users can get the latest news and special offers by following www.twitter.com/AAADiscounts. And don’t forget the popular new iPhone application to display locations near you that offer a discount—search for “AAA Discounts” in the iPhone or iTunes App Store.

AUTOMOTIVE

Colorado team at Auto Skills

At the national finals of the 2009 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition, held in Dearborn, Mich. in June, Colorado’s team won second place. Charles Duran and Dylan Keyes, both from Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, successfully diagnosed and repaired 16 deliberate malfunctions on a Ford Escape during the timed competition.

The Colorado students were among only four state teams to successfully repair all the malfunctions, completing the job only five minutes after the winning team from Minnesota.

Duran and Keyes both won full scholarships and other prizes. Keyes has since decided on a career in the Army, while Duran may take up an auto technology scholarship at Lincoln College of Technology.

The national competition is now in its 60th year and is aimed at encouraging 11th and 12th grade students who are interested in training as automotive technicians.

TRAVEL

Halloween Horror Nights

On select nights every September, October and November, the Universal Studios Florida theme park is transformed into a labyrinth of haunted houses, outrageous live shows, terrifying "scare zones," and an army of mutants, monsters and maniacs roaming the darkened studio streets and jumping out when you least expect.

Now in its 19th year, Halloween Horror Nights annually draws hundreds of thousands of horror fans from around the globe, and has won Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for best Halloween event. Fangoria magazine editor Tony Timpone has described it as "the ultimate Halloween experience," stating, "After visiting scream parks all across the U.S. for the last 20 years, I can easily say that Universal’s is the best in the business." It’s aimed at adults and teens, and is not recommended for young children due to the intensity of the experience.

The event is separately ticketed, not included with theme park admission. Tickets each year are limited and should be purchased well in advance. Express tickets are also available which entitle visitors to bypass lines at the haunted houses and many of the other attractions.

Staying at one of Universal Orlando’s on-site hotels also provides the benefit of being able to jump the queue at the normal theme park rides and attractions during the day, at the standard admission price. If you really want to pull out all the stops, you can even arrange a "horror wake-up call" to bring the screams right to your hotel room.

A special "Gory Getaway" package to Universal Orlando Resort is available which includes entry to Halloween Horror Nights. AAA members also receive a 10% discount at Universal Orlando on select in-park souvenirs and dining locations. Talk to a travel agent for details (866-235-7070).

TRAVEL

Documentary highlights road trip history

"Paving the Way: The National Park-to-Park Highway" is a two-part historical documentary airing on public TV stations nationwide until April 2012. It looks back to the rise of automobile tourism and the National Parks system, with a classic story of the Great American Road Trip in a time when the roads were barely paved.

The documentary focuses on the 1920 inaugural tour of the National Park-to-Park Highway. This 5,000-mile route connected all 12 national parks in 11 states.

AAA's role is featured prominently in the film, specifically in the character of Anton L. Westgard, a pathfinder for AAA, who mapped the route through the parks and led a group of motorists on a 76-day inaugural tour.

An expanded DVD is available. It contains the two-part documentary plus 30 minutes of bonus material—behind-the-scenes footage of the filmmaking process, interviews with the director and other key people, and excerpts of the film crew’s 46-day road trip on the National Park-to-Park Highway while making the documentary. For more information, visit www.PavingtheWay.TV.

INSURANCE

Understanding insurance company ratings

When the unforeseen happens and you need to rely on the coverage you have purchased, the ability of your insurance company to pay claims is vital. That’s why it is very important to know as much as possible about an insurance company before making a decision to switch carriers.

The financial strength of insurance companies is rated by several agencies. Although every agency uses a different formula, the main factors for determining the ratings are balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile. The primary source of information is each insurance company’s official financial statement.

Higher ratings indicate greater financial stability and less likelihood that an insurance company will become insolvent.

The oldest and most recognized rating agency is A.M. Best, which defines secure insurance companies as those with a rating of B+ or higher. Some newer insurance companies don’t qualify for an A.M. Best rating or are shown as "not rated" (NR), generally due to limited financial history or lack of sufficient operating experience.

AAA Colorado's insurance agency only represents insurance companies that have been rated "secure" by A.M. Best or Standard & Poors. For more information on AAA insurance, visit www.AAA.com/insurance.

>>>Return to Table of Contents