By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer
Most drivers think about AAA when their cars break down in the middle of the highway.
They contemplate how much easier and cheaper their predicament might be if they don’t have to change a flat tire or shell out cash for a pricey tow service.
But folks should also think about AAA in between their occasional automobile difficulties, say managers of the Northeast Philadelphia office of the nation’s fourth-largest AAA-affiliated motoring and travel club, AAA Mid-Atlantic.
And thanks to their new local office at Roosevelt Boulevard and Grant Avenue, those AAA staff members anticipate that many more people will be inclined to visit them and learn about the array of automobile, travel and financial services available to the club’s 3.4 million members, as well as non-members.
Last month, the club celebrated the opening of its new retail office in the Mall at One complex. The location replaces the former Northeast branch, which had occupied an office-style building at Bustleton Avenue and Levick Street since 1965.
Much like its local membership, the club has grown immensely in the services and products that it offers during the last 37 years. AAA officials decided that changes were in order to keep up with the times.
“The other office had three floors and was more like an office building,” said Michelle Van Doran, regional manager for the Northeast Philadelphia office. “It was harder for clients to get around.”
The new location is on one floor with an open-space configuration. There are no walls dividing the various departments. Instead visitors are invited through the front doors by a centrally located information desk. Service desks are arranged around the perimeter of the space.
“Here, clients can see what we have to offer,” Van Doran said. “It’s convenient and more accessible.”
According to Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Colleen Healey, the new office is a model that will establish the pattern for other AAA locations in the coming years. Without visiting in person, it’s difficult to imagine the volume of practical services available there.
“This design is really made to showcase all of our services,” Healey said, “and for all of our members to be the focal point of the services.”
For a $67 basic primary membership, drivers get free emergency towing, of course. They also have access to countless special offers and discounts at AAA partner businesses in five Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia.
In Northeast Philadelphia alone, members can get deals on hotel rooms, rental cars, auto service, trolley tours, takeout pizza, tuxedo rental, prescription drugs, Internet access, home security systems and men’s clothing, to name a few.
Members also can make their auto travel plans through the office. The club’s popular TripTiks include detailed maps of the traveler’s route that pinpoint locations of restaurants, lodging, gas stations, recreation centers and other points of interest.
Through the AAA travel agency, members and non-members can book domestic and international business and leisure trips, including sea cruises.
“We have great discounts because of the volume we do (nationally),” said Healey.
AAA travel partners include Disney and Royal Caribbean cruises.
Over at the financial services department, consumers can buy auto and home insurance or apply for a credit card, car loan or home mortgage. Or clients can invest in a certificate of deposit (CD).
Clients can save big money on insurance, according to Rick Shoemaker, the insurance sales manager.
“It’s a good idea to wrap up the whole household,” he said. “There are some nice discounts that you can get on both (auto and home) policies.”
The five licensed agents on staff have a combined 90 years’ experience in the insurance industry, Shoemaker added.
The Northeast office also serves as a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation “messenger service,” so that drivers can register their vehicles on site, transfer vehicle titles and obtain a driver’s license camera card.
License photos must be taken at an official PennDOT location, however.
People can even learn to drive at the AAA Mid-Atlantic Driving School, located in the same shopping center as the retail office.
According to Gail Jasionowski, the school director, the basic “30-and-6” curriculum includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours behind the wheel.
Instructors, who include professional teachers and former police officers, use a plethora of multimedia visual aids and devices to demonstrate safe-driving techniques with a particular emphasis on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the safe operation of a vehicle.
“We like to use a variety of different pieces to teach a comprehensive course,” Jasionowski said.
Other classes include learner’s-permit training, driver improvement for adults, a mature operators course and individual lessons.
“There are many elements to safe driving,” Jasionowski said. “The weather is one. So is our mood, our reflexes, our emotions — all come into play.”
The AAA driving school has been in operation since 1949, almost as long as some Northeast residents have been members of the automobile club. Club officials hope the new office will serve all of the local members well.
“We have our fifty-year member program. If you’re a continuous member for fifty years, you receive membership for free as long as you’re living in the Mid-Atlantic Region,” Healey said. “Every year, we have about three-thousand members (in the region). Last year, I think the Northeast had a hundred and ninety-eight.
“We have a very loyal member base in the Northeast.” ••
For more information about AAA Mid-Atlantic or the new local office, call 215-671-1700. For more information about the AAA Driving School, call 215-864-5100.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com