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Cold weather leads to busy days for many, from kids to tow-truck drivers

Posted at 6:32 PM, Dec 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-26 18:32:17-05

These frigid temperatures led to a busy day for mechanics and towing companies. They are responding to call after call from drivers dealing with problems. 

Elijah Shanklin spent the morning helping his sister get to work and move her car out of her Rochester Hills driveway. 

“She missed the driveway this morning, so now we here,” said Shanklin. 
 
It is a simple and common mistake in icy frigid conditions. 

“The salt is not working. It is creating a lot of accidents,” said Bill Byers of Byers Wrecker Service. 

He says his team has worked non-stop due to this weather.  The problem isn’t just slick roads. It is the fact that as the temperature drops, cars breakdown 

The owner of the Southfield Service Center says the cold leads to a big increase in two things: dead batteries and flat tires.

Jim Hamade, Owner of the Service Center says when it gets cold it is especially important you make sure you don’t have an old battery.  If your battery is more than four years old, you may want to consider replacing it.  It is also important that you keep your tires fully inflated. 

The cold however isn’t a problem for everyone.  Seven Action News found many families taking advantage of the snow-covered sledding hill at Bloomer Park in Rochester.  Some braved the cold out of love.  They had young relatives visiting from warm places who had never experienced the thrill of sledding. 

“It is my first time sledding. It is very cool.  Good experience,” said Zahid Salenas, who lives in Mexico, but is on vacation to visit family.