AAA Michigan Road Improvement Program Wins Another Prestigious Award

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 28 -- The Road Improvement Demonstration Program (RIDP) started by AAA Michigan in 1996 has added another national honor to its list of awards. The Council of State Governments (CSG) at its meeting in Alaska today presented AAA Michigan with CSG's Public/Private Partnership Award.

The award is presented annually to a CSG Associate organization from the private sector that has participated in a successful partnership with a state government.

RIDP was developed to reduce crashes at traffic intersections by making relatively low-cost investments in safety engineering enhancements. AAA Michigan works with local and state traffic agencies to analyze high-crash intersections and make recommendations for improvements such as more effective traffic signals, pavement markings and signs.

Commenting on the award to AAA Michigan, CSG Executive Director Dan Sprague said, "In the increasingly complex world of state government, the involvement of the private sector in public policy development is critical. Public/private partnerships enable states to tap into special, private-sector expertise and to venture into innovative, cost-effective initiatives. These cutting-edge relationships are creating new, best-practice opportunities for states to better serve citizens."

Responding to the award, Linda Woolwine, president/chief operating officer of AAA Michigan, said, "The Automobile Club of Michigan has a tradition of productive partnerships with state and local government agencies dating back to our founding in 1916. As an organization dedicated to enhancing the safety of roads for all citizens, the Auto Club will continue to seek innovative solutions to traffic safety problems and use our resources to support those solutions."

AAA Michigan's RIDP efforts have previously won awards from the Federal Highway Administration, the Governors Highway Safety Association, the Traffic Safety Association of Michigan and the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments.

To date, AAA Michigan's RIDP recommendations have been implemented at 200 intersections in Detroit and Grand Rapids, and the Auto Club has contributed more than $2 million in funding to those projects. In 2003 the program was expanded to study intersections in the Port Huron and Bay City areas. This year, a similar RIDP was launched in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Results have been extremely positive. Re-engineered intersections have seen reductions of more than 25 percent in total crashes and more than 40 percent in injuries. It is estimated that savings to society related to RIDP will exceed more than $100 million over the next 15 years.

AAA Michigan offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to more than 1.7 million members in Michigan. 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 47 million members in the United States and Canada.