In 2018, ADAC patrols and ADAC mobility partners responded to assistance calls from motorists with car trouble in 3,926,533 cases on and off the road. This amounts to an average of 10,758 missions per day.

Thomas Burkhardt, ADAC Vice President Technical Services said: “Our men and women from the ADAC road patrol did an outstanding job again last year, helping our members in countless emergencies and dangerous situations. Almost 4 million missions demonstrate once more that people continue trusting in ADAC and its core competence. For us, this is both a motivation and a challenge.”

Car battery problems were the most frequent cause of car breakdowns again in 2018 (42%). This is mainly owing to the fact that the fleet of cars registered in Germany has continued aging: to an average of 9.4 years according to German Federal Motor Transport Authority records. The second breakdown cause were problems with the engine (19%), followed by defects in the steering, brakes, suspension or powertrain (14%).

In 2018 many ADAC members used the club’s roadside assistance app: around 160,000 emergency calls were placed digitally in 2018. And the trend is up. The smartphone app’s advantages are obvious: after a car breakdown, it allows users to send essential information and vehicle data as well as their exact position directly and easily to the ADAC breakdown assistance centre. Additionally, potential breakdown causes, for instance, “tyres”, “non-start”, “keys”, “accident” or “other defect” can be selected, helping to speed up the assistance process.

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