Vacationers in trouble
It recently emerged that the summer of 2022 is well on its way to becoming a record summer when it comes to breakdowns. The ANWB has their hands full with it. For some holidaymakers with bad luck, help is not always easily arranged.
The number of breakdowns is outrageous. In July, the ANWB emergency center already had 34 percent more breakdowns from abroad than before corona. August has not gotten any better. Since 1 July, director Victor Geskes of the ANWB Alarmcentrale has been monitoring 400,000 telephone calls from Dutch people with car trouble or other disaster. “I have never seen it so busy before. More than 30 percent more car breakdown than in 2019, the last summer holiday before corona,” Geskes said. AD.
The ANWB has responded to the crowds and has increased the fleet of replacement cars for stranded holidaymakers by 20 percent to 4,400 units with a towbar. It turns out not enough. Rental cars are scarce throughout Europe and due to a lack of parts and mechanics it takes a long time before the own car is made. As a result, the ANWB has no choice but to send some unlucky ones home by bus or train. Geskes: “It is a tough summer for us. The Dutch are going abroad en masse by car now that the weather is possible. Flying is less popular, if only because of the stress of catching the flight or not losing the suitcase. “The heat in Southern Europe puts a lot of strain on the car. There are problems with the cooling system or with the clutch when people get into traffic uphill. Add up all those causes and you’re in the hustle and bustle we have now.”
The ANWB expects the problems to continue for a while. Although the Black Saturdays are behind us, it will remain busy on holiday routes until the first weekend of September. The ANWB also notices that Saturdays are no longer necessarily the busiest days. It is also very busy on Fridays and Sundays.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl