TheAA no longer prioritising lone women for recovery

[Imayhaveerred]

A woman tweeted this “ hi @TheAA_UK I am a lone woman whose car has broken down at night in the dark. Your call handler has told me you treat lone women and lone men as exactly the same priority in such circumstances because “that’s equality”

TheAA reply: “Hi Helen, you've been advised correctly. We don't prioritise based on gender, we do consider the location so as an example we would prioritise someone on a motorway over someone in a supermarket carpark”

twitter.com/theaa_uk/status/1483867262373220356?s=21

Surely lone women are always at higher risk than lone men? And that’s before the egregious use of gender when they mean sex…

I've broken down on a motorway and in a deserted supermarket car park at night (pulled in there thinking it was more sensible). The deserted car park at 10pm was terrifying. A motorway is scary as cars are driving so fast but being in a deserted car park was much worse. I called my dad rather than rac as it would have been quicker but there was no chance I was getting out to change a tyre on my own

Erm, it's in the actual fucking OP...

In case you didn't notice, and I guess you somehow didn't, that response doesn't address the issue that was raised. Since it's nearly a third of the way up the page I'll once again quote the actual problem as delineated in the OP for you.

Your call handler has told me you treat lone women and lone men as exactly the same priority in such circumstances because “that’s equality

Now, please find the quote where someone has argued that "anyone on the hard shoulder should be left to hang while someone who is objectively not in imminent danger receives priority." Thanks!

I think the problem was at least in part that the caller who flagged this up on Twitter did feel vulnerable - she didn't want to leave the car. But she was told by the call handler that she wasn't a priority and 'that's equality'. And then on comes the chairman mansplaining about equality law instead of saying, please be reassured that if you are in a vulnerable situation you will be prioritised. He's very much changed his tune today. Having said that, I'm with Green Flag because they make it more explicit that they will prioritise lone women.

more men are killed or assaulted by strangers than women more report it maybe. Most females don’t report assault because it doesn’t help them.

From what I understand, that includes mutual provocation - ie your classic punch up after kickout time.

A lone woman standing somewhere in the dark is more vulnerable than a lone bloke.

And of course size matters - on average, men are nearly 1/5th larger than women. Or the difference beween me and my son when he was 9 - of course my 9 year old is more vulnerable than me, and of course I'm more vulnerable than my foot taller again male (ex) partner.

This will be discussed on the Jeremy Vine show, Radio 2, today (after 1pm I think).

I won't be listening as I'm normally keen on increasing my blood pressure. But you might wish to. Listen, I mean.

Treat me equally. Except when I want to be treated with priority.

You seem to be confused about feminism.

Don't know if it was because a woman had been murdered recently on the motorway, but when I broke down at night on motorway in the nineties, after phoning for help from the motorway phone , a police car arrived about five minutes later and I sat with them until the breakdown truck arrived.

Tina Daheley on Radio 2 (standing in for Jeremy Vine) is about to discuss this in a few minutes.

Oops, sorry - missed that Rightsraptor had already mentioned it.

Very careful usage of the term 'sex' by Tina on Radio 2 right now.
I didn't catch the name of the AA representative but they're blaming the Tweet on a member of staff who'd only been working there for a month.

The AA president on Radio 2 was in fairness very good.

The women afterwards????

Dear God, this woman speaking now.

Accusing women of being crybabies and pretending to feel vulnerable, when that's 'nonsense.'

Jesus, does she watch the news I wonder? Fuck me.

Dear God, this woman speaking now.

Kate Copstick (Scottish accent)? She has a history of approaching everything like Jimmy Nail licking vinegar off a wasp.

Incidentally, she also has (had?) her own company making very 'adult' content.

Shame: I always used to love her in On The Waterfront (short-lived Saturday morning kids' TV show).

Going by some of the responses to this thread, it's possible she posts here...

Thes3 companies really need to start training their social media staff better.

@Senheiss

Having said that, I'm with Green Flag because they make it more explicit that they will prioritise lone women.

Have Green Flag expressed how they define "woman", I imagine this priority could be easily abused.

Do you make special arrangements for vulnerable customers (lone women, elderly, with children)? Answer: Yes we do. We prioritise those in vulnerable situations so a woman with children sitting on a motorways hard shoulder would receive priority of service over a customer sitting at their home address, for example.

I didn't catch the name of the AA representative but they're blaming the Tweet on a member of staff who'd only been working there for a month.

That's a poor response and not exactly reassuring. Clearly it's either a training or a recruitment issue. I expect they spent more training time on Stonewall "law" than they did on teaching risk assessment.

Given that the chairman thinks it isn't possible to prioritise women as a more vulnerable group and "you can't actually say it, in law".

Do you make special arrangements for vulnerable customers (lone women, elderly, with children)?
Answer: Yes we do. We prioritise those in vulnerable situations so a woman with children sitting on a motorways hard shoulder would receive priority of service over a customer sitting at their home address, for example.

That doesn't show they prioritise women.

That doesn't show they prioritise women.

I said I chose them because they prioritise lone women and that info states explicitly that they do.

All the organisation's swore to prioritise women after Marie Wilkes's murder. 7months pregnant, travelling with her two children in the car. Broke down on the M25. Left children in car and walked to the emergency phone just down the road. When she didn't return, her children left the car to look for her. They found the phone swinging on the wire and no sign of her. It was two days before they found her, brutally beaten and stabbed to death.
At the time there was a terrific outcry. Marie had been abducted and murdered in broad daylight when about to make a call. Rescue companies swore that females would be prioritised. After all, if a heavily pregnant woman can be dragged off the side of the motorway, then no woman was safe. How gleefully they have decided that equality trumps women's safety.

The only time they nearly left me stranded was when my car broke down at night time on a busy road. Thankfully I was able to coast it partly onto the grass verge. I rang the AA up although at the time wasn't with them but exH was which also covered my car. Explained to them he wasn't with me and I was on my own. Wouldn't send anyone out. Said I'd set my own account up with them only then I'd remembered I'd withdrawn my last £40 so couldn't do that either. Luckily for me an AA van had seen me stranded and had turned around in the lay by further up and came to see if I was ok. By this point my car was completely dead couldn't even open the window up. AA guy told me hang up with the AA checked the car over. As soon as he connected it to the machine it screamed. Turned out the Engine had blown up cos my exH had driven nigh on 140 miles the day before with hardly any oil inside it and had ignored the oil warning light and the advisory from the garage to fill it up. Totally knackered it up!! AA guy towed me back to my garage. Said I'd pay later on over the phone but told me not to bother. Im fully joined now after locking my keys in the boot of my new car. In all fairness the 4 times I've had to get them out they've come relatively quick. The only time I had to wait a while was when I had a flat battery but was safe in a car park. They've also come quicker for me when I've explained I'm a Carer and have calls to get too.

@SammyScrounge

All the organisation's swore to prioritise women after Marie Wilkes's murder. 7months pregnant, travelling with her two children in the car. Broke down on the M25. Left children in car and walked to the emergency phone just down the road. When she didn't return, her children left the car to look for her. They found the phone swinging on the wire and no sign of her. It was two days before they found her, brutally beaten and stabbed to death. At the time there was a terrific outcry. Marie had been abducted and murdered in broad daylight when about to make a call. Rescue companies swore that females would be prioritised. After all, if a heavily pregnant woman can be dragged off the side of the motorway, then no woman was safe. How gleefully they have decided that equality trumps women's safety.

I have just looked this up, oh my God, it's awful. Anyone wanging on about 'gender' and sneering 'you wanted equality' should be thoroughly ashamed.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Marie_Wilks

@ScribblingPixie

That doesn't show they prioritise women.

I said I chose them because they prioritise lone women and that info states explicitly that they do.

No. It states explicitly that they would prioritise a woman with children sitting on a motorway's hard shoulder. As would the AA, as they've also said.

"we would prioritise someone on a motorway"