CAA prioritizing tow service due to extreme weather

THORNHILL, ON, Jan. 4 /CNW/ - CAA South Central Ontario's prioritizing its tow service today due to the high volume of calls for help from its members resulting from the extreme weather.

CAA is servicing priority calls on highways before members who are at home in their driveways, due to safety issues. As of 11 a.m. this morning, wait times in the GTA are 60 to 70 minutes for light service and 75 minutes for non-priority tows. Rural areas are experiencing wait times of 90 to 120 minutes. Higher-priority calls are being serviced as soon as possible, said Jason Ballantyne , manager of communications for CAA SCO.

"While we can appreciate a long wait time for service may be frustrating to members stuck in their driveways, we will in no way compromise the safety of those who are stuck on the sides of highways. Those high-priority calls are our main focus right now," Ballantyne said.

Other areas are experiencing the following wait times for non-priority calls:

    
    *  Newmarket/Aurora/Bradford - 120 minutes
    *  Barrie/Collingwood/Orillia/Bracebridge - 120 minutes or more
    *  Most other regions - 90 to 120 minutes
    

CAA is also asking members to make sure their driveways are clear so service drivers can have access to their vehicles. Vehicles not dug out will not be towed.

If members have to use a service provider other than CAA, reimbursement based on membership coverage will be considered.

Calls for service today range from non-starts due to dead batteries to vehicles in ditches.

CAA South Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club offering insurance, travel, automotive care and roadside services. There are more than 1.8 million CAA members in South Central Ontario and 5 million members in Canada .

For further information: Media contact: Jason Ballantyne, Manager, communications, CAA SCO, 60 Commerce Valley, Drive East, Thornhill, ON, L3T 7P9, [email protected], Office: [phone], Cell: [phone]