All Motorists to Receive Free Access to AAA's Online Mapping and Driving Directions Through New AAAmaps.com Web Site

World-class Travel Information Gives Members and Non-members Alternative to MapQuest and Other Travel-Planning Sites

AURORA, Ill., May 18 -- AAA, the nation's largest organization for motorists, today announced plans to make its world-class routing and mapping technology available to all Internet users through a new Web site, AAAmaps.com . AAA is launching the new site today, just in time for travelers to plan their Memorial Day driving getaways.

AAAmaps.com leverages AAA's robust Internet TripTik(R) mapping and routing technology which the Wall Street Journal called its "Top Choice" for online mapping services. The new AAAmaps.com site has many of the same mapping and routing capabilities as Internet TripTik and includes valuable information from AAA's extensive database of proprietary travel information, such as Diamond Ratings for hotels and restaurants unavailable from other online mapping services.

"AAAmaps.com is designed to offer Web users quick access to a mapping and travel planning solution whether they are driving across town or planning a lengthy driving vacation this summer," said Steve Bernth, AAA Chicago's President and COO.

While Internet TripTik, which is available only to AAA members, is a much more comprehensive mapping and trip-planning tool, AAAmaps.com includes many of the same features and capabilities.

AAAmaps.com users can select a wide variety of locations from an easy-to- use drop-down menu or fill in address information, add a stopover such as an attraction or restaurant, zoom in or out, pan, add notes or choose to avoid/include tolls or ferries. Travelers can even compare hotels and reserve a room directly on the AAAmaps.com site.

AAAmaps.com uses state-of-the-art hardware, software and data to deliver high-quality mapping and routing results worthy of the AAA brand, including hardware from Sun Microsystems, software from Kivera, Inc., ESRI and Oracle, coupled with data from NAVTEQ, Inc., Geographic Data Technology, Inc., and AAA's proprietary highway and TourBook(R) guide content and AAA proprietary software.

AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 45 million members in the United States and Canada.