RICHMOND, Va. – The past weekend’s extended cold snap that brought sub-zero temperatures and wind chills to the Mid-Atlantic region sent emergency roadside assistance calls into record territory for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
The agency says requests for emergency roadside service hit record numbers with roadside assistance volume topping 12,000 calls, the highest one-day call volume on record. Monday’s calls shattered the previous record set on Jan. 8 (11,023) by nearly ten percent.
The auto club responded to 5,706 battery-related calls, also a single-day record, accounting for 47 percent of all calls Monday.
In Virginia, AAA Mid-Atlantic responded to nearly 2,000 (1,823) total emergency roadside assistance calls, 741 (40 percent) of which were battery-related.
“Our fleet and contractors throughout the Mid-Atlantic region have been working tirelessly to rescue stranded motorists throughout the weekend, especially yesterday as the extreme cold temperatures proved damaging to so many car batteries” said Martha Mitchell Meade, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Even as requests for assistance climbed to record levels – over 12,000 total throughout the Mid-Atlantic territory, our priority is always to get our members back on the road or to safety as quickly as possible.”
Battery-related assistance calls jump with periods of extreme cold. According to AAA’s Automotive Research Center, at 0°F, a car’s battery loses about 60 percent of its strength and at 32°F it loses 35 percent. During cold temperatures starting an engine can take up to twice as much current as needed under normal conditions.
Warning signs that you are at risk for a battery related breakdown include the following: hearing a grinding or clicking sound when you turn on the ignition, your vehicle cranks slowly when attempting to start, your headlights dim when idling but brighten when the engine is revved or your battery is more than three years old.
