Texas Car Troubles Increase With Summer Temperatures

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FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) - The job of the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department Courtesy Patrol is to assist stranded drivers, and they're busier when it's hot outside.

Back in March they helped 1,400 drivers, by June that number climbed with the heat to 2,200. Most of the heat issues they see involve tires, belts or batteries.

And when your engine dies in the North Texas heat it gets dangerous on a hurry, as Gordon Barnes found out. "I was driving along, the car stopped. The battery was dead."

The dead battery meant Barnes was stranded along a busy Interstate-20. He was in a sweltering car, with no way to lower the power windows or run the air conditioning. "Oh man, it was terrible!" he exclaimed. "It really was! You fellas are lucky. You get a chance to cool off every once in a while."

Luckily, Sheriff's Department courtesy officer June Hancock happened to see Barnes. "Hi!" she yelled through the small opening of Barnes' passenger window. "You okay?"

The hotter it is the more courtesy officers see motorists like Barnes. "Ever have the alternator checked or anything?" Hancock asked, as she hooked her jumper cables to the battery.

Often drivers don't do preventative maintenance on the electrical system, cooling system or tires. And in almost every case, the driver isn't prepared to be stranded in the heat, which means the most precious item on the rescue truck is water.

Hancock handed a Styrofoam cup to the grateful Barnes and said, "It is not a very big cup, but it's cold and I'll refill it as many times as you need it okay."

This time of year, safety officers say having extra water along for the ride is crucial in an emergency. "If you have your windows down it helps a little but you're still hot," said Hancock. "We always try to bring a cooler full of water in case we run out and somebody needs it we give it to them."

Roadside assistance can be contacted anywhere using the roadside courtesy phone number on the back of your Texas drivers license.

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