Vehicle Breakdowns Hit a Record High in 2015: AAA

More Americans enjoyed a vacation on the side of the road last year than ever before, according to the American Automobile Association.

Vehicle breakdowns reached a new high in 2015, with 32 million calls logged to AAA from drivers in distress. Of the most common problems, vehicles less than five years old make up a large part of the tally. So, what’s the deal? Are vehicles going backwards in quality?

Short answer: no, but they are rapidly accumulating technology, and that can lead to issues. Dead batteries, flat tires and key problems topped the list of breakdown calls, and newer vehicles saw the most calls for tire, key, and fuel problems. That hints that certain automotive trends can shoulder some of the blame for the stranded motorists.

“Sleek, low profile tires are highly susceptible to damage, electronic keyless ignitions can zap battery life and despite advanced warning systems, more than half a million drivers ran out of gas last year,” said Cliff Ruud, AAA managing director of Automotive Solutions, in a release.

Locking your keys in your car is a time-honored tradition, and AAA still makes plenty of trips to help those who can’t find a wire coat hanger. Four million, to be exact. The growing use of keyless ignition systems now add variety to those calls for help.

Keyless systems “can drain the battery life when keys are stored too close to the vehicle and can lock a driver out of the vehicle while the engine is still running,” AAA stated.

Full-size spare tires are as scarce as supermarket food in Venezuela, and the number of vehicles equipped with a donut spare is shrinking. Tire inflator kits don’t always repair the damage, leading to more calls for assistance. Due to this problem and others, one in five newer vehicles that AAA responded to had to be towed to a repair facility.

Going by AAA’s data, it looks like the best tool to have on you is a charged phone with a good calling plan.

[Image: Michael Kappel/ Flickr]