Frigid Weather is Causing an Increase in Emergency Road Service Calls, Says AAA

AAA Has Tips on How to Cope With the Cold

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 5, 2007; Preparing now for frigid temperatures will help keep your vehicle on the road, advises AAA Michigan. Since midnight, the Auto Club has received more than 2,400 calls for emergency road service, well above normal levels for this time of year. Over the weekend, more than 10,000 calls were received, with heavy call volume predicted. AAA is giving priority to callers stranded on freeways or in traffic, where they are facing hazards.

Motorists can help keep their vehicles on the road by doing the following:

   * Faulty batteries cause more car starting problems than any other
     factor. At 0 degrees, a good battery has 35 percent less starting power

     than in summer. At minus 20, battery power drops 50 percent. If your
     battery is more than three years old, have a load test performed.
   * Park your car in the garage. If you have no garage, put a tarp over the

     hood or park protected from prevailing winds. To keep doors from
     freezing shut, place a plastic trash bag between the door and the
     frame.
   * Keep the fuel tank at least half-full to avoid fuel-line freeze-up.
   * To avoid frozen door locks, buy a lubricant available in most auto
     supply stores. If your lock freezes, heat your key with a pocket
     lighter but remember to wear gloves or hold the key with pliers. Or,
     fill a plastic jug with hot water. Hold it against the door panel or
     lock area. Do not throw hot water on the car. It, too, will freeze and
     you run the risk of cracking glass.
   * If you become snowbound, stay with your vehicle. It provides excellent
     shelter from the cold and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you.
     If you can start your engine, run it only enough to keep warm. Make
     sure the exhaust pipe is snow-free. Keep emergency supplies in the car,

     such as a cell phone, boots, hats, gloves, blankets, a "coffee can
     heater", flashlight and reflective triangle.

AAA and the Michigan Towing Association remind motorists to give tow truck operators a "brake." They're there to help you. Drive with care when a tow truck's there.

AAA Michigan offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to more than 1.6 million members in Michigan. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with approximately 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization with more than 49 million members in the United States and Canada.