AA Route Planner All about AA Route Planner and planning your trip…

Welcome To AA Route Planner

Welcome to our website about the AA Route Planner which is also known as the AA Route Finder. This site has all the information you will need to find the best route to take to get to any destination in England, Ireland, or any of the other countries of the European Union. On our AA Route Planner page there is also a short video showing how to use the features of the AA Route Finder to plan and print out your driving directions...

Please note that the AA Route Finder page has similar information to the AA Route Planner page, so be sure to check out both. The two different names are used just so that you can easily find our site when you do a search.

Basic Use of the AA Route Planner

When using the AA Route Planner, you simply enter the start and end points in the boxes in the upper left corner, and click on the "get route" button. A route is then highlighted on the map to the right. The map is interactive, and you can easily move it around and zoom in and out. You can also change it from a simple map to a satellite picture of the route with the roads overlaid on top of the picture. On the left, a detailed route appears with step by step instructions which you may print out to take with you. Just below the boxes you used to fill in your starting and destination points, you have other options, such as finding a route which avoids motorways. If you take just a little time to explore the site, you will see that there is a wealth of other information at your fingertips.

The History of the AA Routes Service

Handwritten AA Route Cards

The AA Routes service was introduced in the early twentieth century. It was introduced to provide members with information regarding travel directions. Originally the AA Route services were introduced in the form of AA patrols. AA patrols could be consulted for verbal directions and advice. Soon after the introduction of the AA Routes service in 1910, AA paper routes were launched to provide members with reliable directions due to the lack of signposts. This change in the AA Route services happened in 1912 and coincided with AA Classifications of hotels and restaurants. These early paper routes were personalized itineraries and sometimes town maps and "day drives" were provided.

1920s After a few years of the introduction of AA Routes the new system became a huge success and the membership of the AA increased rapidly. With the introduction of handwritten cards detailing the information between 2 different points the AA Routes became widely used. The increased demand lead to the need for printed cards. As a result 7,000 printed route cards were launched. Also more than half a million routes were added to the AA Routes service every year.

In 1925 the Foreign Routes Service was introduced and covered the main routes in France. With help from associated overseas clubs and travelling members, two AA staff members were able to log a large number of routes. This service grew to eventually provide routes for as far away as Africa, India and beyond.

Printed Town AA Route Maps from 1947

1930s and 1940s

Strip maps introduced in the 1930s resulted in more reliable route information. After a few years after the introduction of Strip maps, progressive mileages were added to them which resulted to the demand of these maps to over 6,000,000 per year. But during the Second World War the demand for these maps decreased rapidly.

1950s

The end of the world war resulted in the rise of demand for AA Routes. The demand also increased at an alarming rate at the time of patrol rationing in the 1950s. An introduction of places of interests was also added to the maps during this time.

1960s

With the expansion of motorways, the 1960s was a remarkable period for AA Routes as the demand rose from 4,000 in 1949 to 221, 387 in 1965. The 1960s also saw the introduction of AA "throughroute" maps which were based on the maps of 55 different towns. These maps showed the routes from the towns to over 500 destinations. This period also saw the evolution of Route Books which was the collection of the most essential routes and also the best driving routes.

1970s

A range of overseas "Throughroute" maps were introduced in 1975 with major routes from the main Channel ports.

1980s

With the introduction of the computer, the home route services were computerized in 1984 and soon Overseas Routes in the year 1987. Massive numbers of maps were transferred in to computers. These maps comprised many separate sheets.

1990s

The year 1990 was when the home and overseas routes were amalgamated. A route processing unit was started in the city of Bristol. Soon the team of researchers joined the Basingstoke cartographic department. Also a team of 15 was introduced by AA route services to collect the information on roads and routes by driving. 1999 saw the decision for all the maps to be available for free to non members as well as members. Today the main objective of the team is to gather information on the ground for maximum reliability of the maps.

2000s

The demands increased at a breathtaking rate and in the year 2000 a massive number of 4.5 million maps were generated to satisfy the needs of the people. This was nearly 18 times the number of the maps produced in 1999. With the introduction of GLOBAL POSITION SYSTEM technology the transformation of maps to the system was made easier. The number of volunteers increased rapidly to generate around 171 million routes a year. 2005 also saw the introduction of more innovative and reliable mapping technologies.  This was made possible by the introduction of street level routing. This resulted in the introduction of the latest method of planning the routes in online which made possible to calculate a route from any street or zip code. This time also show the introduction of more detailed mapping system. This allowed users to take more detailed map of the country and came within instant links to place of interest.

The Current AA Route Planner Incorporates Google Maps

The year 2010 sees the AA Route Finder/AA Route Planner creating it's 1 billionth route accessed online.  The AA Route planner is now providing free online directions to vehicle drivers. This resulted in the massive number of requests for the designing of another 16 million motor routes per month. The AA Route planner has significantly helped motorists over the past 10 years by helping them to travel up to a distance of 125 billion miles. This is equivalent  to driving around the world over 5 and half million times or 700 return trips to the sun from earth..  So AA Routes has made  travelling an easier and more attractive experience by providing faster and more reliable sources of information through the AA Route Planner/AA Route Finder, AA online maps and road information.

Have a Hassle Free Journey With the AA Route Planner

Travelling is the best way to find amazing and wonderful new places and things. But if you lose your way it can also result in frustration. Today there are many websites, tourist centres and gadgets which will give you complete information on places that you want to visit. Some also give you maps and routes of the places you are going. However, as traveling is all about unfamiliar lands the information which is provided to you must be reliable and easy to understand.

The AA routes service was introduced in 1912 is now one of the most reliable sources of information available when it comes to travelling in the UK and Europe. The AA route services were first introduced in the form of AA patrols which provided the individuals with verbal information on different places and routes. After years AA route services began producing printed cards which contained the information regarding basic routes. As the time passed AA routes were launched online in the year 1980 which allowed individuals to access the information from any part of the world.

AA Route Planner introduced by AA route services is considered as one of the most reliable means of planning your trip. It will also help you to gather all the information on driving directions and details of the places which you are going to visit. The AA Route Planner is now available online which makes it a faster and more convenient source of information. With the accommodation help you can easily manage your journey according to your budget. With the AA Route Finders help you can plan your trips according to your priorities and interests. Whatever your interests maybe, whether it is historical or modern or natural you can select the right destinations and can easily manage your accommodation facilities.

The main advantage of the AA Route Planner is that it will help you to plan your journey systematically. The AA Route Planner will also help you to gather the information regarding everything you need to know which includes coffee shops, restaurants, amusement parks, shortcuts and what’s more it will send you information regarding traffic blocks if you are using AA route GPS.

• Most Common Traffic Rule Violations in United Kingdom Most, if not all drivers in UK, may have probably experienced minor traffic violations while on the road. Traffic violations may happen intentionally, due to carelessness, or ignorance. Whatever the reason is, a violation is being recorded together with the driver’s identification. Depending on the traffic violation, a motorist can be given a warning or a penalty. Normally, the first violation is a warning; however, that still depends on the severity of the violation. When a violation becomes habitual, that already calls for a punishment that can lead to disqualification or imprisonment. Common Traffic Violations of Motorists Traffic violations happen in UK, and also in other parts of the world. Here are the most common violations of UK motorists: Exceeding the speed limit – Currently, the allowable speed limit in UK is only 30. When a motorist goes beyond the limit, it will be considered as over speeding. However, there is always an exemption such as emergency cases, or if another person is driving your vehicle. The maximum penalty for this offence is 3-6 points on the driver’s license and discretionary disqualification. Failure to wear a seatbelt – According to UK law, persons who need to wear a seatbelt are the following: driver, pregnant women, persons with disabilities, children at least 3 years old, but not more than 135 centimeters in height, and children at least 14 years old. However, children whose height is below 135 centimeters should use a car seat instead.  The fixed penalty is 60 up to 500 pounds. Drink Driving – If you want to drink hard, don’t bring any motor vehicle for safety. Drunk driving is one of the common traffic violations in UK. It can really become dangerous not only for the driver, but also to other people around. When a police suspects you of drunk driving, you will be asked to undergo a breath test. This is a reliable way of checking the presence of alcohol in the body. Any motorist who refuses to do it will be arrested and taken to the nearest police station.  After that, you will be bailed out, and will be advised to attend ...
• London Officials Organize Olympics Games Lanes to Bring Traffic Order? London, UK- Everything is set for the 2012 Olympic Games to begin on July 27. Road works to end and the lanes to transport athletes and officials of the Games are marked out. Some lanes to be used for the games have already been marked out like the one near Egham (South West of London). The work has begun to adapt the streets of London to easily transport game participants and officials. Officials have stopped the roadworks to give way for the Olympics lanes to be painted and the traffic lights to be adjusted. The plan is to have a 30-mile lane for the Olympic Games route network that will link venues. The lanes will be functional from July 25. It will be opened from 6:00 BST until midnight according to one Transport for London official. The transformation of London has begun despite left and right protests of different traffic sectors looking for hikes for additional work hours during the Olympics. Meanwhile, transport officials have begun to advise motorists to avoid the central London area around the Olympic Games route network links starting third week of July when officials and athletes of the Games will begin arriving in London in groups. The first route M4 (near Heathrow) will be operational on July 16, but to keep this disruption at a minimum, the Transport for London said the painting works on the lanes will be done midnight to avoid heavy traffic, road closures, and route diversions. There would be about one million tourists to come to London everyday when the Games start. In connection to this, there would be about an additional 1,300 athletes’ family vehicles to arrive the venues. The Olympic route network is part of the contract of being the host city for the Games. Violators in the ORN will be fined £130 for driving in the lanes of the Games or stopping their car in the route. Any illegally parked car will be taken to a pound, and owners will be required to pay £200. Rules on the ORN will end two days after the Olympic Games on ...

Get the route planner here.