WILLIAMSPORT -- This stretch of cold weather could cause some car troubles for drivers in our area.
Newswatch 16 followed a tow truck driver around Williamsport as he helped people stuck in the cold in Lycoming County.
When the temperatures drop, Dincher's Auto Body Inc. in Williamsport gets dozens of calls, so tow truck driver John Ritter has to move quickly.
"I have a flat tire, a lockout, and a tow today, so far," Ritter said.
Up first is a van stranded on Reach Road in Williamsport.
Ritter is used to working in the cold. He says this time of year, a portion of his calls are caused by the drop in temperatures.
"When we get the cold we have now, we get a lot of jump starts, a lot of lockouts because everyone is going out to start their cars and the car is locked," Ritter explained.
Another cold weather woe for drivers is finding a flat tire.
"It could have been the cold. You know, the air pressure being low, it could have just been low when they left the house this morning."
One car didn't make it out of the driveway Wednesday morning. The battery needed a boost.
"She hasn't driven it for a while, so that's a lot of the problem. If you don't drive your car for a while, the cold weather is definitely going to cut the battery life down," said Ritter.
Ritter was able to jumpstart that particular car, but sometimes the battery just won't work.
That's why Daniel Tawney of South Williamsport came to Willard Battery Outlet
"When they get old, they don't hold a charge with the cold," Tawney said.
"This week, as soon as the cold hit, the first cold snap when it gets really cold, that's when it starts showing up and people's cars don't start," said Jeffrey Bubb with Willard Battery Outlet.
With temperatures dropping into single digits this week, both businesses expect to stay busy.
