July heat leads to surge in roadside assistance calls due to dead batteries

DENVER, July 9 - The month of July is typically one of the busiest months of the year for road trips. The combination of extra people on the roads and extreme July heat brings an annual surge in roadside assistance requests when many travelers’ vehicles struggle to operate.

Nearly 16 percent of roadside assistance requests to AAA Colorado over the recent Fourth of July weekend were battery related, followed by lockouts at 13.2 percent and tire change requests at 12.5 percent. Gas delivery requests were near the bottom of the list at only 1.4 percent.

"When temperatures exceed 90 degrees for more than a few consecutive days, we see a large increase in motorists requesting roadside assistance," says Scott Soper, AAA Colorado's Manager of Battery Services. "Motorists needing jump starts as a result of dead batteries generate the most common calls. This is unfortunate, because it’s something that can be easily prevented."

The following are tips from AAA Colorado’s mobile battery service to keep car batteries functioning correctly. This service offers roadside battery testing and replacement to the greater Denver metro area, Boulder and Colorado Springs.

• Don’t go extended periods of time without driving your vehicle. Most vehicles have electronic components such as clock and radio settings that drain a small amount of energy even when the car is turned off. This can lead to a dead battery.



• Verify that battery cables have a clean and tight connection to battery terminals. Loose, dirty connections constrict the flow of current and are a common cause of battery problems.



• Have a qualified technician check the battery fluid level. Most batteries are maintenance-free, but battery fluid level can still run low leading to a dead battery.



• Have the electrical system checked at least twice a year. A faulty alternator in the electrical charging system is one of the most common causes of battery failure.



• If the battery is more than three years old, have the energy level checked to verify it is still strong. The most common car battery life is between 3-5 years.

AAA recommends that all motorists purchase replacement batteries with at least a three-year warranty or a free replacement guarantee if failure occurs.

AAA recommends safety precautions always be taken when working with batteries, such as wearing protective eyeglasses and clothing.

AAA Colorado has more than 525,000 members in Colorado and is an advocate for safety and security for all travelers. As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides nearly 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services, as well as member-exclusive savings. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.