AAA Emergency Roadside Assistance Responds to First Cold-Snap of the Year

    AURORA, Ill., Jan. 22 AAA Chicago's Emergency Roadside
Assistance crews have been kept busy by the first extremely cold weather
conditions of the year.  The motor club responded to more than 5,000 calls in
Illinois and northern Indiana since Monday, Jan. 20.
    Currently, AAA Chicago has 295 towing service providers under contract,
and placed more than 1,000 vehicles on the road to assist members in need of
roadside assistance.
    "Normally, during freezing cold temperatures, the highest percentages of
calls are for 'won't starts,'" said David Bufka, senior vice president of
member and automotive services.  "Despite the increased call volume, it could
be worse.  Typically, the heaviest call volume occurs after a snow storm, when
followed by sub-zero temperatures," he added.
    On average, AAA Chicago fields more than 32,000 emergency road service
calls a month.  Last year, the club responded to more than 380,000 ERS calls.
In the month of December 2000, when Illinois was blanketed with more than
30 inches of snow, the club received more than 54,000 calls.
    The club recommends that motorists whose car batteries are more than four
or five years old have them either replaced or load tested to make sure they
could handle these extreme cold temperatures.  As the temperature drops, so
does your battery's starting power.  At 32 degrees, a car's battery loses
35 percent of its power.  At zero degrees, a car's battery is 60 percent
weaker.  Also, as a battery ages, it loses the cranking or starting power it
had when it was new.
    To help your battery last through the winter make sure the terminals are
clean and have it load tested by a professional to measure its strength.
    Also, check the level and freezing point of your vehicle's radiator fluid.
The freezing point should test to at least 35 degrees below zero.  If
necessary, add a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water (the water reduces the
corrosive nature of antifreeze).
    To help prepare for harsh winter weather, motorists are encouraged to
visit the club's Ice Pack web site at http://www.icepack.org .  The web site features
life-saving information on how to prepare emergency road kits; what to do
during a vehicle breakdown; safe winter driving tips; and how to prepare a
motor vehicle for winter.

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