With the April holiday rush fast approaching, many South Africans are either preparing to head out on holiday or stay in town to enjoy visiting local restaurants and attractions. Any form of travel, long distance or local, has the potential to become a stressful experience - whether you are coordinating holiday plans and looking for guidance on where to go and how to get there, need roadside assistance or are just looking for the nearest petrol station in an unknown area.

With security and assistance as top priorities, the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) has brought road safety and convenience to smartphones with their free AA Rescue Service mobi app suite. The app gives users access to a full suite of rescue services and assistance at a click of a button.

Accessible to both AA Members and non-members, the AA Rescue Service mobi app suite currently offers motorists three very useful features: a Rescue Me instant alert button, Accident Assist and its Points of Interest feature.

Once registered the Rescue Me instant alert will send your details and location directly to the AA’s call centre at the click of a button. They will then call you to ensure you’re safe and to arrange the roadside assistance you need. While AA Accident Assist provides invaluable assistance at the scene of an accident, guiding you through the accident process and recording all the information you’ll need for an insurance claim, or for later legal action, to ensure you don’t forget anything. As soon as you press save, your accident report with photos, videos and voice recordings will be uploaded from your phone to your website profile, where it can be updated or amended at any time. When complete, the report can be sent on to your insurer to expedite your claim.

The AA believes that the feature that motorists will be sure to enjoy during the holidays and beyond, is Points of Interest. They believe this feature takes the challenge out of travelling by helping to locate public places of interest via your smartphone. Not only does this make daily travel easier, but it’s also a great help when you find yourself lost in an unfamiliar area. If you need the closest hospital in an emergency, the application will locate it on a map, indicate where you are in relation to your destination so you can find your way there. Motorists can ultimately look forward to quick and easy location of their chosen destination, the security of knowing where they need to go in an unfamiliar area, as well as locate hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfast establishments with and AA Quality Assured accreditation. 

 Visit www.aarescue.co.za and follow the easy steps to download the app to your phone. This app is available on iOS, Blackberry and Android platforms.