dr Helen Mott, from Bristol, said on Twitter she broke down while driving on Tuesday. After a call to the AA believing the company is giving priority to lone female drivers, the company said it didn’t prioritize “by gender” but did take into account the location where someone broke down.
In a series of tweets Tuesday night, Dr. Mott: “Hello @TheAA_UK, I’m a lonely woman whose car breaks down at night in the dark.
“Your call operator told me that you give single women and single men exactly the same priority in such circumstances because ‘that’s equality’.
“I will now wait 90 minutes or more alone in the dark, which as a single woman away from home is far more anxious than it is for a man if you follow the news.
“I think your policy needs to be revised. I was also treated to a standard message directing me to get out of the car. Uh, no.”
In response, AA said: “Hi Helen, you have been advised correctly.
“We don’t prioritize by gender, we take location into account. As an example, we would prioritize someone on a freeway over someone in a supermarket parking lot.”
dr Mott replied to the message, “Wow.”
Speaking to The Sun, Dr. Mott, she was told she would have to wait almost two hours.
She said: “The operator gave me an estimated time knocking for a couple of hours.
“I asked the call workers why they treated men and women equally and didn’t prioritize single women.
“They said there was no difference and they just said it was equality. You’ve been trained to say it.”
In response to Thursday’s outrage, Dr. Mott: “I’m glad that some light has been shed on things like the confusion about what ‘equality’ means and what ‘security’ means.
“The situation looks like obfuscation to some and incomprehension to others – What is required? – Clarity in politics, in communication and in the training of all those who do public work and make decisions about risks.
“Much better mainstreaming of what ‘safety’ means for women.”
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After other members called for clarification, AA President Edmund King said on Twitter: “Please rest assured that we are prioritizing those at risk.”
In response to a letter from Ms Duffield, Mr King said that “the safety of women and all vulnerable customers is 100 per cent at the forefront” of his priorities.
He said the AA has reminded “staff” of its “vulnerable customer processes and procedures” and said that when there is a breakdown with a lone woman, “if the customer raises a concern, they are given the highest level of care and priority.” .”
An AA spokeswoman commented: “We accept that the wording of our initial response was not great and we apologize.
“In fact, we prioritize all vulnerable people, but mostly it’s single women.”
