Is Your Car Starting in This Deep Freeze?

Mississauga | Ontario | Latest News |

Published January 5, 2018 at 4:57 pm

winter-car2

Poor, ice-cold batteries.

This deep freeze means cars aren’t starting.

The blustery cold snap gripping Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills, and the rest of the Greater Toronto Area means an “extraordinary” number of calls to CAA South Central Ontario (SCO) from drivers.

“The cold temperatures are expected to continue right through the weekend,” said CAA’s VP of membership and automotive service Cindy Hillaby.

“In the interest of safety, we are prioritizing emergency calls, and putting a greater emphasis on members stranded on roads and highways.” 

Tens of thousands of members – from Kingston to Windsor – have called CAA SCO for service from Dec. 26, 2017 to Jan. 1, 2018,  

A total of 38,808 service calls were dispatched in just one week — a 56 per cent spike from the same time period a year prior.

The busiest day during the holiday season in the last four years? Dec. 27, 2017, with CAA drivers responding to 9,149 members in just one day — most of which has been for the mobile battery service.

With another round of frigid temperatures, CAA is reminding members to make sure they have an emergency car kit in their trunks, plus a fully charged cell phone before leaving home.  

While you’re at it, throw some extra blankets in the car.

Hillaby also says over the last month CAA has had two to three times more calls for service daily versus a normal day.

ITEMS TO HAVE IN YOUR VEHICLE

  • Winter gloves
  • Blanket or extra clothing
  • Extra windshield washer fluid
  • First aid kit road safety kit
  • Map (not just a GPS unit)
  • Ice scraper and/or snow brush
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Flares
  • Battery jumper cables
  • Bag of sand, salt or kitty litter
  • Small shovel
  • Candy or chocolate bar for energy
  • Dry cloth or paper towel
  • Waterproof matches
  • Appropriate footwear (if you tend to drive in shoes during the winter months)
  • Cell phone with a fully-charged battery

(Source: CAA)

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