Roadside Assistance Calls Expected To Mount As Motorists Dig Out
The “Blizzard of 2009″ and “the big dig” in its aftermath let loose a flurry of emergency calls from thousands of stranded and snowbound motorists to the roadside assistance switchboard at AAA Mid-Atlantic. From the time snow began falling Friday evening to midday today, the motor club has responded to 43,657 calls from motorists across the mid-Atlantic area.
In the period from midnight Sunday to noon today, AAA Mid-Atlantic dispatched 7,724 crews to rescue motorists foiled and flummoxed by two feet of snow. The motor club is on track to receive over 15,000 emergency calls today and call volume is running 55 higher than normal. The 10-11 A.M. hour is the busiest hour on record at AAA Mid-Atlantic. It roadside assistance hotline dispatched 1,114 crews to the assistance of motorists. Throughout the weekend call volume ran nearly 50 percent above normal.
“With people still digging out, and others venturing out and about for the first time in days, we expect a significant number of calls,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “We understand that people want to be able to get their vehicles going, but with the volume of calls, we are focusing on those stranded away from their residences.”
As of 12 noon today there have been 5,451 DISPATCHED calls – of those:
43% Tow & Extrication
33% Battery Related
13% Flat
6% Lockout
DISPATCHED calls by region as of 12 noon:
MD – 1,424
NJ – 1,391
VA – 1,218
PA – 1,071
DE – 198
DC – 149
