Battery issues top cause of roadside rescues – report

Battery issues top cause of roadside rescues – report | Insurance Business New Zealand

Motor & Fleet

Battery issues top cause of roadside rescues – report

More than 54,000 roadside rescues due to issue in 2022

Motor & Fleet

By
Abigail Adriatico

Issues with a car’s battery are the top cause of calls for roadside rescues, a study by AMI Insurance found. According toAMI Roadside Rescue executive general manager Dean MacGregor, AMI Roadside Rescue has received more than 36,000 calls from customers whose cars were dealing with battery issues.

“Between January and September 2023, AMI Roadside Rescue received over 36,000 callouts from customers caught on the side of the road, or simply stuck at home, with battery issues being to blame for nearly half of all of breakdowns,” said MacGregor, adding that there were 54,000 callouts in 2022.

MacGregor said that as a car’s battery ages, its chances of eventually failing increase. He said that there are an average of around 2,000 roadside rescues made every month.

“It’s no surprise there are more callouts in regions where there are more cars on the road, so Auckland takes the top spot for the numbers of callouts by a country mile, followed by Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton,” said MacGregor.

MacGregor said that other reasons for callouts included towing, damage to tyres, mechanical concerns, keys either being locked in the car or not working, electrical systems on the blink, getting the car stuck in mud or grass, using the wrong fuel, and two flat tyres or having no spare tyres.

AMI shared a few tips to avoid any problems with one’s car. This included ensuring the efficient state of the car, traveling either early or late in the day, staying fresh and alert, ensuring passengers are safely restrained, choosing the best travel route, and checking the weather conditions before leaving.

AMI Insurance is the second biggest residential insurer in New Zealand. Its AMI Roadside Rescue is an annual subscription service that provides users with several car-related services.

What do you think about this story? Share your thoughts below.