During Easter, the Finnish Automobile Association’s Operation Pajunkissa will be on duty in various parts of Finland to ensure that those who are going on a trip for the holidays do not get stuck on the road. Electric cars bring new challenges to the season.
Once again this year, Operation Pajunkissa by the Finnish Road Safety Association will be safeguarding Easter traffic from Pascha Thursday to Easter Monday. This is the 53rd time the campaign has been held.
During the operation, several hundred volunteers from the Automobile Association will be on standby to help those in trouble on the road.
– I was just talking to an electric car driver who had driven north from Helsinki and had reportedly been looking for charging stations. And the station he found wasn’t always suitable for his own car,” says Ruokamo.
Travelling with time
Ruokamola has a message for everyone going on a longer trip with an electric car.
– I would say to make time for it. There you may have to wait at the charging stations and the charging times will be longer.
Behaving in consideration of others at charging stations is important. The car must be parked for charging in such a way that the car can fit into the adjacent charging point at the same time without any problems. It is also not recommended to fully charge the battery with a fast charger. When the battery reaches 80–90 percent charge level, the charging speed slows down significantly, Autoliito is reminded.
Hoping for a peaceful Easter
Tapio Ruokamo has been one of the helpers of those stuck on the road for about 20 years. He has been ready to jump into the car both from the Christmas table and from the Easter treats when help is needed.
Now for the Easter holidays, he hopes for good weather, because it will also make the work of the road service easier. After all, it’s nicer to wait in the sun to fix a broken tire.
What would a road worker’s dream Easter be like?
– Beautiful weather, good food and the phone is silent. There would be no need to hit the road in the middle of lunch. Now the weather looks promising, says Ruokamo.
The operation in Pajunki serves at the number 0200 8080 (€1.93/min mpm). You can also order help with the Autoliito application, which can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play store and Apple’s AppStore. If Autoliito’s volunteer road attendant is not available or the nature of the assistance otherwise requires it, Autoliito’s towing partner will be sent to help the motorist.