CAA Manitoba seeing spike in calls due to weather, potholes

CAA Manitoba is experiencing a spike in calls due to recent rain and snow, as well as poor road conditions.

Heather Mack, manager of government and community relations for CAA Manitoba, said the association had a busier weekend than it planned for, receiving about 250 calls on Sunday.

“[There was] probably 100 other calls that had to wait until Monday for service,” she said in an interview on Monday. “Definitely a big jump.”

On Monday, CAA Manitoba received 189 tow/winch calls, and still had a backlog of 56 calls as of Tuesday morning. The association typically receives 150 tow/winch calls on Mondays.

Mack said many of the calls have been for tows, while others were for light service, including flat tires.

“If you’ve driven around Winnipeg lately you can understand why with the potholes,” she said, noting there were about 90 tows on Sunday.

Mack noted that it is difficult to avoid potholes right now, but said the best thing to do is slow down, leave space between the car in front of you, and try to avoid potholes filled with water.

“You have to be careful because you can’t be swerving around,” she said.

“Your best option right now is to simply be slow and cautious as you drive through the potholes.”

She added that if you have to go through a pothole filled with water, it’s best to drive through slowly and straight on.