RAC is best known for providing roadside assistance for stranded motorists in the UK and also offers the same deal in around 50 European countries. It serves some 7 million customers. In addition, the company provides advice on car buying and car care, sells insurance (including auto, home, travel), offers drivers' training courses, and repairs windshields. RAC is a subsidiary of insurance titan Aviva, which acquired RAC to expand the offerings of the insurer's Norwich Union brand. The RAC name comes from the UK's Royal Automobile Club, which sold its breakdown assistance unit to the company in 1999.