Our History
Establishment of the Foundation
One of AAA’s main concerns was keeping roadways safe. The organization started one of its first traffic safety initiatives in 1922 when it launched the school safety patrol program. That prompted other safety-related programs, including a landmark effort to reverse the soaring pedestrian fatality rate during the 1930s. With the surge in the number of people and cars in the United States, AAA knew that it would need to expand such traffic safety efforts but recognized that it couldn’t stretch its annual safety budget further. So AAA started exploring plans for an independent foundation that could solicit its own tax-exempt donations for traffic safety programs.
On November 5, 1947, six AAA board members and staff met at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. to incorporate the new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. In the coming months, the Foundation’s board started selecting key AAA projects – mainly related to safety patrols and driver education. The Foundation expanded its work considerably during the 1950s and early 1960s through funding films, television shows, and research, and since then, it has gone on to shape Americans’ understanding of traffic safety.
Highlights Through the Years
Animation and Video Showcase
From animated to live-action, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has produced a multitude of educational films from the 1950s to 1990s. To celebrate this history, the Foundation has embarked on a task to digitize and share some of its most popular videos.
To see other AAA Foundation productions, click here.
AAA Foundation Leaders
| 1949 – 1950 | General Jacob L. Devers Managing Director |
| 1951 – 1964 | Board President served as de facto head |
| 1964 – 1966 | Burton W. Marsh Executive Director |
| 1966 – 1973 | Calvin F. Larson Executive Director |
| 1973 – 1993 | Sam Yaksich, Jr. Executive Director |
| 1993 – 2002 | David K. Willis Executive Director |
| 2002 – 2016 | J. Peter Kissinger President & CEO |
|
2016 – present |
C. Y. David Yang President & Executive Director |
Boards of Trustees Presidents
|
1948 – 1950 1950 – 1952 1952 – 1954 1954 – 1960 1960 – 1966 1966 – 1973 1973 – 1977 1977 – 1981 1981 – 1985 1985 – 1989 1989 – 1991 1991 – 1996 1996 – 2016 2016 – 2020 2020 – present |
R. J. Schmunk Lou E. Holland Ralph Thomas Lou E. Holland Clarence E. Bodie Edwin S. Moore J. Russell Lloyd Gilbert B. Phillips Richard R. Dann William M. Skillman Augustine Preno F. Stuart Wilkins Paul C. Petrillo Mark A. Shaw Mark H. Shaw |