AA says lone women are a priority following
Twitter backlash

The AA has backtracked on a tweet in which it said that lone women are not a priority for roadside callouts.

The breakdown cover firm faced a backlash when customer Helen Mott tweeted: "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'."

The AA replied to her tweet, saying, “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 car park."

The response attracted a lot of attention on social media, including from Labour MP Rosie Duffield.

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Duffield said: "The AA calls itself the fourth emergency service. We just need to know that at that end of the phone is someone prioritising our safety.

"We are more at risk physically than men in that situation. It's just a fact, I'm afraid."

The MP wrote to Edmund King, AA President, saying the reply had "provoked a huge response from women, and many men, who had understood that a lone woman would always be given priority... due to the reality of gender-based violence and the current huge publicity surrounding violence against women and girls."

Replying to her letter, Mr King, said "the safety of women, and all vulnerable customers, is 100% at the top" of its priorities.

He said the AA had reminded staff of its "vulnerable customer processes and procedures” and said if there was a breakdown involving a lone woman, "where there is any concern raised by the customer, they receive the highest level of care and priority."

Following the Twitter storm, the RAC and Green Flag both confirmed they prioritise people in vulnerable situations, including lone women.