Your car is getting sick of winter, too

                              It's been the worst winter ever for dead batteries and flat tires, according to AAA.

                              Even though winter will hang around for two more weeks, AAA Mid-Atlantic says it had more than 67,000 calls for service the last two months in the five-county Philadelphia area.
                             Calls for flat tires, mostly due to potholes, were up 63 percent.
                             So, if it snows again, the already record-breaking numbers could grow even higher.
                             AAA Mid-Atlantic saw record-breaking tire-related requests for help in January and February, topping out at 67,621 territory wide, said AAA spokeswoman Jenny M. Robinson.
                             These were the first- and third- busiest months ever.  The second was in Dec. 2010, she added.
                              Snow, rain and up-and-down temperatures added up to potholes all over area roads, both highways and back roads alike.
                              AAA calls in the Philadelphia five-county area for January and February reached 19,420.
                             In fact, in February, tire-related calls topped 10,300, up 88 percent in contrast to Feb. 2013, when there were 5,743 calls for tire help, Robinson said.
                             "This wild winter weather has created pothole landmines on area roadways, shaking up motorists and creating serious safety hazards," Robinson said.  "Our roadside assistance crews in the Philadelphia five-county area responded to more tire-related calls in February than any month before," she said.
                             Across the AAA Mid-Atlantic territory, which includes New Jersey, Delaware, Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia and the five-county Philadelphia area, there were 183,217 calls for service in February.
                             Of that number, 68,363 were for towing, 47,296 for dead batteries and 33,003 for tire problems, totaling 148,662 calls.  The other 34,555 calls were for other services.
                             Robinson added that an AAA battery truck fell victim to pothole damage on its way to help members with flat tires themselves.
                             "AAA urges motorists to slow down and increase following distance to see potholes early enough to avoid them," she said.