Start rescue responds to increases in driver anxiety
Originally published 16 January 2023
Britain’s leading vehicle breakdown provider has witnessed an increase in the percentage of drivers displaying anxiety with the summer and early autumn months of 2022 seeing a peak in motorists needing further support.
Data from Start Rescue’s Control Centre showed that the percentage of customers in autumn 2022 needing extra levels of reassurance and help, rose to 1.5% of all calls handled. This was the highest recorded number of incidents involving vulnerable customers since January 2021.
Ben Johnson, Director of Networks at Start Rescue, commented: “All vehicle breakdowns are stressful, but since the end of Covid restrictions and a ‘return to travel as normal,’ there’s sadly been an overall rise in the number of anxious motorists requiring an extra level of support from us.
“We won’t speculate on why, but as a team we’ve responded by increasing our awareness, frontline resources and further enhancing procedures.”
Start Rescue enables motorists to disclose medical conditions or whether they are anxious about their situation. The Control Centre team can quickly allocate a distressed driver to its Vulnerable Customer Monitor (VCM), where the most experienced and highly trained call handlers will be in constant contact with them and the vehicle recovery operator.
When the most severe levels of anxiety are witnessed, the team applies an ‘Extremely Vulnerable Customer Procedure’, notifying the emergency services, and with the most senior supervisor taking responsibility for the incident.
The Control Centre team, which has encountered motorists threatening to take their own lives, have access to Mental Health First Aiders and frontline staff regularly attend soft skills and empathy workshops which provide advice on how to remain calm and reassure motorists in distress.
Johnson added that the high percentage of established, family-owned recovery companies Start Rescue works with is a key asset in emotive situations.
“They know their communities, take pride in their work and are a reassuring presence on local roads. In a stressful recovery, when it’s not simply about the vehicle, they can make a huge difference.”
Johnson added: “Although January and February are widely perceived to be the most depressing months of the year with the most challenging driving conditions too, the data actually shows that other months are proving to be more stressful for drivers.
“The traditional view of a national recovery team is that we focus on the vehicle. But increasingly there are some new challenges, so our team has been growing in awareness and putting new procedures in place like our Vulnerable Customer Monitor.”
Start Rescue has a 4.5-star rating on Trust Pilot, a five-star Defaqto* rating and recently achieved Which? Recommended Provider status for the fourth year running. Start Rescue also has a 97% recommendation rate from customers helped at the roadside.
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