Frozen batteries and stuck cars have CAA Quebec techs out in force

CTV Montreal: CAA out in force With snow on the ground and the temperatures plummeting, CAA Quebec’s technicians are being kept busy helping stranded motorists.

As temperatures get treacherously low, CAA Quebec is seeing the number of calls for help skyrocket and their workers were out in force in the province on Wednesday.

With snow on the ground, CAA technician Erik Skallerup said he knew he’d be busy helping stuck motorists.

“Especially with the holidays, people haven’t moved their cars in a couple of days,” he said. “It’s freezing over, so people are getting stuck in it.”

Roughly 75 per cent of the calls Skallerup received on Wednesday were for boosts as temperatures reached their lowest for this date in 25 years as the frigidity can wreak havoc on car batteries.

CAA Quebec spokesperson Annie Gauthier said the organization had received over 5,000 phone calls before 1:00 p.m., indicating many drivers weren’t ready for the weather.

“Of course, the first cold days of winter are always more busy for us, for the simple reason that some people didn’t have their checkup or winter maintenance on their car,” she said.

Skallerup made some recommendations to ensure Quebecers don’t have to have him over for a visit.

“If you have a block heater, keep that plugged in to keep the engine warm,” he said. “If you have a remote starter, you can use that a couple of times a day to start the engine. It runs by itself for 20 minutes and then shuts off. If you don’t have one, just start your car once a day.”