The iconic yellow trucks responded to more than 271,650 callouts for battery-related issues, 71,200 for flat tyres, 25,500 vehicle lockouts and 7,700 calls from those who had run out of fuel.

RACQ Chief Executive Assistance Glenn Toms said the award-winning fleet of more than 750 patrol vehicles responded to an average of 2,000 rescues a day in the past financial year.

“Queenslanders know if something happens, like a flat battery or a child or pet locked in the car, they can count on RACQ to come to their rescue," Mr Toms said.

“We provide 24/7 roadside assistance across Queensland and in the past year we helped over 91% of drivers get back on the road with an average response time of 35 minutes.”

RACQ patrols responded to more than 1,780 lock-in emergencies.

“Concerningly, we rescued 864 children and 771 animals that were locked in vehicles,” Mr Toms said.

“We urge motorists to never leave children or animals alone in the vehicle, even if it’s just for a moment, and never give your child the car keys to play with.” 

Mr Toms said the latest motoring trends are reflected in the roadside assistance statistics.

“We continue to see battery-related issues as the top callout and the figure increased again this year by almost 2,000 jobs,” he said.

“Adding to this tally is the growing number of electric vehicles (EV) on the road, we now have patrol and tow vehicles equipped with mobile EV chargers to help drivers who have run out of charge.

“As cars become more tech-reliant, issues like software updates draining the vehicle battery and mobile app malfunctions are becoming increasingly common.

“We’re also seeing an increase in flat tyre events as modern cars often use low-profile tyres to enhance performance, but it doesn’t take much to puncture them.”

RACQ patrols also came to the aid of 374 mobility scooters, 211 wheelchairs and 209 e-scooters or e-bikes.

In 2024, RACQ was proudly awarded Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers for Roadside Assistance in Queensland.

Find out more about RACQ Roadside Assistance here: Roadside Assistance | RACQ

FY24 Roadside Assistance Callouts by Region:

*Things to note: Stats based on FY24 averages.