When the Netherlands is on holiday, the high season starts for the ANWB and its employees. The ANWB Emergency Center is running at full speed to help travelers who are stranded abroad with a breakdown or to assist them because they need medical care due to illness or accident. In the past four weeks, more than 280.000 calls have been received with requests for help from home and abroad. In vehicle assistance, the number of foreign files increased by 34% compared to the same period in 2019, the last 'normal' summer before corona.
Now that the corona restrictions have been lifted in most European countries, the Dutch are again going on holiday abroad en masse. They prefer to do this with their own car, especially now that there are long queues at Schiphol, Rotterdam Airport and Eindhoven Airport. The ANWB expects the number of reports to increase further in the coming weeks.
Most car breakdown reports come from France, followed by Germany and Belgium. Striking this year is the increase in the number of files in Spain and Italy. The most commonly reported faults are starting problems, loss of power, warning lights that come on or a flat tire. The number of domestic roadside assistance services has also increased compared to 2019.
During the corona pandemic, many foreign rental companies have downsized their fleet of rental cars. This has consequences for holidaymakers who have car trouble.
They may have to travel home by plane, train or bus.
In order to accommodate travelers as much as possible, the ANWB has expanded its own fleet of rental cars and distributed it over a large number of hubs in popular holiday areas throughout Europe.
The ANWB already took into account the large crowds this summer, but cannot prevent holidaymakers from having to wait longer when they call on the Emergency Center. From The Hague and Assen and the support centers in Lyon, Munich, Barcelona and Athens, everything is done to help everyone as quickly as possible. Roadside assistance services are also stationed in France and Italy. The ANWB recommends holidaymakers to give the car extra attention before departure. It's always better to avoid bad luck, especially now.
Photo above: ANWB image bank.
