The Automobile Association (Ireland)
The Automobile Association (or simply AA Ireland) is an automotive services company in Ireland, founded in 1910. It provides rescue services, personal lines insurance, and travel, technical and information services. AA Roadwatch supplies traffic and travel information nationwide.
Company
AA Ireland employs over 420 people and its head office is located at Maryland House, Dublin, with its Rescue Centre based in the city centre and central patrol garage located at Naas Road, Dublin. AA Ireland was historically part of the same group as The AA in the UK. However, it was sold in August 2016 to the Irish investment group Carlyle Cardinal Ireland (CCI), separating it from AA PLC. AA Ireland is one of Ireland’s leading consumer services businesses – providing emergency rescue for people in their home and on the road, as well as providing insurance for over 225,500 Irish customers and breakdown cover for 300,000. Its branded rescue product, AA Membership, is held by over 300,000 members, giving the AA a market share of 85% in the market for those motorists who choose and purchase rescue cover. Through its breakdown service The AA attends over 120,000 car break downs every year, with 80% of these being fixed on the spot. The AA also provides breakdown assistance to fifty percent of new cars as part of their warranty, in association with ARC Europe. AA Patrols are located nationwide. The main AA activities include:
- Insurance intermediary specialising in motor, home, life, and travel insurance.
- Vehicle breakdown service
- AA Roadwatch – a supplier of traffic and travel information in Ireland.
- Evaluation of second-hand vehicles, and the provision of information to members regarding new cars
- Issuing of International Driving Permits (IDPs)
- AA Signs Service (provision of temporary directional signage to events)
- Inspection and grading of Irish Hotels, Guesthouses, B&Bs and tourist accommodation
AA Roadwatch
AA Roadwatch is the major supplier of traffic & travel information in Ireland, run by The AA. The AA Roadwatch service provides up to the minute traffic and travel information through live broadcasts, online and social media. The AA Roadwatch online RoutePlanner provides over 12 million detailed routes, per year, for Irish users, assisting drivers in finding the quickest routes to their destination.
AA Life Insurance
In 2016, AA Ireland will begin offering Life Insurance and Mortgage Protection through a partnership with Aviva plc to both new and existing customers as part of a new venture.
AA Travel Insurance
AA Travel Insurance offers a wide range of travel insurance benefits as standard like flight cancellations, lost or stolen luggage and medical expenses. The AA also offers a wide range of different types of Travel Insurance like Annual (Multi - trip) Travel Insurance, Winter Sports Cover, Backpacker Cover, Single Trip as well as European Breakdown Cover if you're driving abroad.
AA Hotels
Alongside its work in the motor and insurance industries, AA Ireland also carries out inspections and gradings of Irish Hotels, Guesthouses, B&Bs and tourist accommodation. As part of this work, The AA Rosette Scheme is designed to recognise exceptionally high standards in culinary excellence demonstrated by AA Accredited properties across Ireland and the UK. The aim of the Rosette system is to provide reliable information for all patrons about where to eat.Rosettes are awarded on a rising scale of 1 to 5, even one Rosette represents culinary excellence.
AA Ireland App
The AA app, first launched in 2013 is the fastest way for members to report a breakdown. The Rescue feature allows members to report & track their breakdown and have an AA Patrol come directly to them. The app can also be used to check AA Roadwatch traffic updates in real time for free and also assist motorists in planning a journey using AA Routeplanner.
International Links
The AA plays an important role in international motoring through close affiliation with the world’s motoring clubs. The AA was a founder member of Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT), whose member clubs represent more than 128 million members worldwide. The AA is also a shareholder in Arc Transistance which provides emergency roadside assistance throughout Europe.
The European Campaign for Safe Road Design
The European Campaign for Safe Road Design was a partnership between 28 European road safety stakeholders that called in 2009 for the EC to invest in safe road infrastructure initiatives, which the group claimed could cut deaths on European roads by 33% in less than a decade. AA Ireland is the campaigns partner in Ireland.