21 December 2021
- AA to provide roadside assistance for Santa: For one night only, the AA will be on hand should Santa break down
- Driving home for Christmas: 54%1 of drivers will travel on the 24th December
The AA, the UK’s largest breakdown provider, has extended its service to offer Santa free breakdown cover for 24 hours this Christmas Eve, including all-important ‘reindeer assistance’.
With Christmas being one of the AA’s busiest times of year, as well as having their vast number of roadside patrols available for AA members, for one night only, the AA will be on-hand should Santa need any roadside (or rooftop) assistance.
The AA has taken this unprecedented action to support Santa and his reindeer following a tough 2021. To ensure Santa can still make it to homes across the UK, should any of his reindeer come into trouble, the AA will have replacements on standby.
Sean Sidley, AA Patrol of the year, said: “With Santa covering more mileage than most this Christmas Eve, he could be more at-risk of a breakdown, so we’ll be offering him bespoke AA Santa Assist cover for one night only.
"Whilst our patrols have UK drivers covered, we know that Santa and his team would need a special kind of roadside assistance, so we wanted to extend our services to support sleighs and reindeers too.
"If Santa does need the AA to rescue him, he could use the AA breakdown app to track his Patrol…it’s a bit like the Santa tracker app, but yellow!”
The AA is here to see festive journeys go without a hitch. However, if Santa – or any wider AA customers break down, the AA is on hand 24 hours a day to step in.
According to research, 44%1 of drivers will be making a journey over the festive season between 22nd December and 3rd January. The 23rd and 24th December are the busiest days during this period, with over half (54%)1 expected to make a journey by car.
AA breakdown data shows that the most common issue motorists have with their vehicle over the winter period is a battery fault, with over a quarter (27%) of breakdowns during the winter of 2020 being a result of this.
Top tips for motorists this winter
To help ensure that motorists make it to their destinations stress-free this Christmas, it's important that drivers look after their vehicle and make the necessary checks before setting off on a journey.
When it comes to general maintenance, there are six key areas to keep on top of which can be easily remembered using the acronym FLOWER:
- Fuel
- Lights
- Oil
- Water
- Electrics
- Rubber
Checking the battery is very important when it comes to vehicle maintenance, particularly when vehicles aren't being used very often – book a vehicle check through AA Smart Care.
It is also vital that motorists check the condition of their vehicle’s tyres regularly. This is done easily by looking over the surface of the tyre for cuts and uneven wear. Don’t forget to also check that the tread is within legal limits.
It is advised that if your tread drops below 3mm you should think about getting your tyres replaced. If the tread is below 1.6mm this is illegal, and your tyres must be changed. Try and do this every two weeks. It’s also worth checking the spare tyre (where fitted).
Lastly, checking tyre pressures regularly will help keep your tyres in good condition. Vehicle tyre pressures can be easily found in the vehicle handbook and is normally printed on either of the front car doors or on the inside of the fuel flap.
1 AA Yonder Driver Poll, November 2021, 15,355 respondents