AAA Receives Over 1,000 Calls For Dead Car Batteries Due To Cold Weather

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- AAA says their roadside assistance service saw a massive spike in calls Monday, and almost half of them were from motorists with dead batteries due in part to the cold weather.

AAA says their roadside assistance program received a little over 2,300 calls in the Philadelphia area alone on Monday, and of them 1,068 were for drivers dealing with a dead car battery.

Jana Tidwell of AAA says the cold has a cumulative affect on car batteries, and the colder it gets the weaker the battery.

"At 0 degrees, a car battery loses 60 percent of its strength, and at 32 degrees a battery is 35 percent weaker than it typically is," Tidwell said.

On top of that, many of us put extra drain on our battery with cell phone chargers, GPS, and other electronic devices.

AAA recommends drivers get their battery life tested when it gets to be 3 years old, and to check it regularly after that. Battery testing is offered for free at many auto shops and some retailers.