How the first RAC Patrols got the job done

14 May, 2020

Imagine it's a rainy autumn afternoon in 1926 and your Ford Model T has just broken down somewhere in Perth, miles from where you live.

Inconvenient? Yes, but there's no need to worry because RAC's Patrols are on the road. There's just one problem - how are they going to find you?

With 2020 marking 115 years since the club that would become the RAC was formed, we’re heading back in time to see how our earliest Patrols helped WA motorists and got the job done.

Searching for stranded motorists

In May 1926, when RAC launched its Roadside Assistance service and the first two Patrols hit the road, they had their work cut out for them. At the time, local roads were poorly constructed and often damaged, which made them unsafe. Many early motorists found them difficult to drive on.

Back then, the roadside service was offered free of charge to all WA motorists and the only two RAC Patrols rode around Perth on motorcycles with sidecars. They were constantly on the move, but not because there were so many breakdowns. With no way of knowing where breakdowns were happening they simply had to drive around the metropolitan area looking for motorists who needed help.

Two original Patrol motorcycles in 1926

At busier times, such as weekends and public holidays, the Club advertised the routes they’d be patrolling in local newspapers. These were generally popular touring routes, like Perth to Mundaring, or roads selected to complement sports fixtures or other attractions taking place on the weekend.

Within the first year of roadside operation, a third motorcycle Patrol was added, and the service area was expanded beyond Perth’s city limits, with a vehicle also purchased to service motorists stranded in rural areas.

In the first year, the Patrols attended 880 incidents and travelled 10,863 miles.

Getting connected to a Patrol

In 1927, to make the service more efficient and to bring Patrols and stranded motorists a little closer together, RAC headquarters started taking calls directly from motorists about their breakdown and the location. The details were then phoned through to an available Patrol at their home.

It was a small leap forward in roadside communications and removed the need for Patrols to search local roads for broken down cars. But there was still one small challenge for motorists - finding a telephone to make that call.

Head Patrolman Bill Meehan at RAC Headquarters

RAC soon found a way to help plug this gap as well. In 1929, to make the service more accessible, telephones were installed at various locations around the metropolitan area, with a Patrol stationed at each waiting to be contacted. Some of these locations included Cottesloe Beach, the Log Cabin at Greenmount, and the Hamilton Hill Memorial Hall.

This helped RAC headquarters dispatch the closest possible Patrol for the job, and drastically improved the wait time for stranded motorists.

Modern Patrols

It wasn’t until 1957 that RAC’s Roadside Assistance service was extended to 24 hours a day and in the same year, all vans were fitted with two-way radios for direct communication with Club headquarters.

Today, RAC Roadside Assistance is the largest roadside network in WA. In 2019, we rescued more than 300,000 motorists, and got 94 per cent of their vehicles moving again.

From then to now, our trusty Patrols are here to help

With cover from less than $10 per month, you can have peace of mind with our state-wide cover.

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