AAA Directions

How do I resize or re-center your maps?
The small white arrows on all map borders are clickable. When you click on them, the map coverage moves in the direction of the arrow you clicked on. This allows you to view areas that are outside the current map's coverage. Most maps also have a bar scale at the bottom with + and - signs that you can use to zoom in and out. Just click on any of the circles along the scale to resize the map. Zooming all the way out (- on the zoom scale), provides you with the biggest view of the location. Zooming all the way in (+ on the zoom scale) allows you to see greater detail of the location. Some maps also have a "Large Map" link below them that open up a new window with an enlarged map inside.

On maps showing traffic, you can click on the map to get more detail of the traffic incident. On the overview map showing driving directions, you can click on the map to zoom and center on a particular segment of the driving directions.

The map is incorrect or it can't find the location I entered.
To generate a map, you can enter a street address (ex: 100 North Main Street) or an intersection (ex: Market @ Powell) into the address field. You can also enter an airport code (ex: SFO) into the airport code field. We can only map street addresses with street numbers and street names or the intersection of two streets. We are not able to recognize post office boxes, apartment numbers or vanity names for buildings. We also cannot recognize geographic features, names of housing developments, or names of businesses. If no street match can be made, a map shall be generated of the zip code area (if entered) or the city instead.

If you know you have entered your information correctly but the results are incorrect, it's possible that the street you are looking for may be new and not yet in our database. Please be patient, as adding new streets can take several months. We are constantly working on improving our systems to provide you with the most accurate information at all times. If you know the name of an older street near the new location, we suggest entering that street name into the address field so that you can at least generate a map of the general area you're interested in.

However, if the street is not new but the results are still incorrect, it may be the result of some technical difficulties with our data. Please send us an e-mail to AAA Directions Comments and Suggestions (also located on the Contact Us page) if you encounter this type of problem. Be sure to include the exact address or addresses you were trying to locate and if there were inaccuracies in the directions. If possible, let us know at what step in the process you feel an error occurred. We shall work to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

I generated a "Traffic on Route" map under Traffic Conditions and the drive time was unrealistic. Why?
Drive times are calculated using the posted speed limit on each road and our estimate of how a traffic incident on that route is likely to affect that "ideal" drive time on that route. These incidents are reported to us by the California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies, observation aircraft, TV and radio stations, weather monitoring stations, CalTrans, public transit agencies, as well as by a team of dedicated editors in each market (for example, to report on sporting events or festivals).

In larger metropolitan areas (for example, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose) we have live information on the real speed of vehicles on major freeways that comes from sensors buried underneath the road surface, from CalTrans, or from toll tags such as FasTrak. Where this information is available, it is automatically factored into the drive times.

However, in many areas we do not have sensor information for surface streets, and therefore we do not have the data to adjust drive times to reflect "local history"- for example, the knowledge that a certain surface street that everybody needs to take may often be jammed on a Monday morning. Therefore, the travel times may sometimes be slightly optimistic. Please remember that our traffic conditions service is intended as a guide only, and do review the Terms of Service.

How often is the traffic conditions information updated?
Incident information is typically posted on our system within 5 minutes of it being reported to the traffic operations center. Real-time road speed information is also refreshed every 5 minutes.

Why do the highway exit numbers in your Utah directions differ from the actual signs?
The Utah Department of Transport has begun a project to update mileposts and exit markers to accurately reflect their location. Under this new system, exit numbers in Utah must now correspond to the nearest official milepost. Exit numbers that are found to be off by more than one mile are being appropriately renamed.

We are working with the Utah Department of Transport to ensure that our maps reflect their new, more accurate naming convention. Until the changes are fully incorporated, we recommend that you double-check Utah highway exit numbers by visiting the Utah Department of Transport website (http://www.udot.utah.gov/mileposts/info.html).

What happens when I click on the Would you like to look for an alternate route around traffic? link? Why is this link is not always available?
When you ask us for a traffic report on a route (for example, from home to work), we first check for accidents on what would normally be the best route, and show you what the drive time would be based on current traffic speeds. We then automatically check whether we can find a better way to go, based on current traffic conditions. We'll show you the link only if we find a better way.

If you click on the link, we'll show you the New Route on a map with driving directions. We'll also compare it for you to the Old Route, so you'll see how time you're likely to save and how much you would have to go out of your way to avoid the traffic jam.

Your Nearby Services listings do not appear to be complete. I know that there are more restaurants around the location I entered, but they are not showing up. Why?
Our data vendor for nearby services, Axciom provides a database of all North American businesses by industry. If you don't see a business listed, please report this to CSAA who can report it to the data vendor.

Sometimes I have problems when I visit your site and I'm wondering if it's my computer. Which computer operating systems and Internet browsers work best with AAA Directions?
CSAA Directions has been certified on Windows NT, 2000, and XP using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 6.0. CSAA Directions also works on Macintosh computers. CSAA Directions also works on Netscape browsers.

How do I report a problem with AAA Directions?
Report any problem you may encounter by sending us an e-mail to AAA Directions Comments and Suggestions (also located on the Contact Us page). We shall work hard to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

10.

How do I generate a map for an address?
To map an address within the United States or Canada, type in a street address, city and state, or ZIP code. Then select the correct country and hit the "Get Map" button.

For example:

100 North Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

OR

North Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

OR

Los Angeles, CA

OR

90012

11.

How do I generate a map for an intersection?
When creating a map for an intersection, use either "&" or "@" between the two street names.

For example:

Market & Powell

OR

Market @ Powell

12.

How do I find directions to/from airports?
Most major airports in the United States and Canada can be mapped and routed by entering the airport code into the address field. To find a specific airport code, click the airport code link located above the address field. The listing of airport codes is arranged alphabetically by state and province.

Note: This list only covers major U.S. and Canadian airports.

13.

How do I get driving directions between two addresses?
Click on the "Driving Directions" link located in the left hand navigation.

Enter the starting address under "Origin" and the ending address under "Destination" in the appropriate fields, and then click the "Get Directions" button. For best results, enter the addresses as completely and accurately as possible.

On the results page, a written driving route appears on the right, along with two maps on the left. The top map shows the Full Route, while the map below shows you the detail of your last turn to get to the Destination in detail.

14.

Why do I get two maps on the driving directions results page?
Two maps are provided with our driving directions in order to provide comprehensive information about the route:

	Full Route Map: shows an overview of the entire route from beginning to end. You can click on this map to zoom and center on a particular segment of the driving directions.
	Destination Map: displays the streets near the destination address

These maps, shown at different scales, provide you with an overview of the entire route along with specific details for easier navigation near your destination.

15.

What geographic area does AAA Directions cover? Can I get maps for areas outside of the United States?
AAA Directions can create maps and routes for the United States and most of Canada at this time. You can search for an address in Canada by entering as much of the address information that you know and changing the country selection in the drop down box below the address form.Gas prices are currently available for the United States only.

16.

How does AAA obtain gasoline prices?
AAA has partnered with OPIS to provide gas prices for over 85,000 outlets around the country. Gas prices are derived from credit card transactions as well as direct feeds from individual chains. The prices reported are for the benefit of individual AAA members. They may not be republished in any way. Custom reports are available from OPIS. http://www.opisnet.com