At a glance
During the summer of 2022, Redion opened more medical and technical assistance files abroad than during the summer of 2021.
During the summer 2022 holidays, Redion opened more medical and technical assistance files abroad than during the summer of 2021.
MEDICAL FILES SHARPLY UP COMPARED TO 2021
During the summer of 2022, Redion opened 42% more medical files abroad compared with the same period in 2021.
The increase in the number of medical files was largely due to:
- the large number of travellers who went away this summer. Redion's 2022 Holiday Barometer already indicated that after two years of pandemic-related restrictions, 71% of Belgians intended to go on holiday this summer. This trend was confirmed in practice. The desire for holidays was clearly present among our fellow citizens.
- the easing or lifting of health measures that were still in force in 2021, prompting travellers to finally carry out their travel plans and mix with other tourists,
- risk-taking by some people who — after two years of "restraint" — took up (sporting) activities they had probably not practised for a long time, or had never practised before,
- a wider spread than in 2021 of travellers to distant and sometimes unfamiliar destinations (see the map below),
- the extreme weather conditions of summer 2022 in certain places (heatwaves).
The vast majority of medical files were opened in France (19%) and Spain (mainland Spain + islands: 15%). In the United States, the number of files rose (6%), returning to its pre-pandemic level.
The most frequent types of problems were injuries, fractures and wounds (40%), infections, related both to COVID-19 and to other illnesses (14%), gastroenterological problems (9%), and cardiovascular problems (5%).
VEHICLE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FILES ALSO SHARPLY UP
Abroad, Redion also opened more files for vehicle technical interventions, an increase of 30% compared with 2021, including in France (44%), Spain (13%), Italy (8%), Germany (8%) and the Netherlands (5%).
The increase in the number of technical interventions was largely explained by:
- the large number of holidaymakers who travelled this summer in their own vehicle,
- sometimes extreme weather conditions in certain parts of Europe (heatwaves) causing battery, starting and tyre-overheating problems,
- travellers' "last-minute" decision to take their own vehicle for fear of being affected by the risk of strikes or industrial action, which regularly hit many airports during these holidays,
- the shortage and/or exorbitant price of rental cars in many places, prompting many travellers to make the journey in their own car from Belgium to be sure of having a vehicle at their holiday destination.
The most frequent types of problems were engine, battery or starting problems (72%), technical problems caused inadvertently, e.g. keys locked in the vehicle, fuel mix-up, punctures (17%), and accidents (9%).
In Belgium, Redion recorded a 20% increase in vehicle technical problems compared with the same period in 2021. That year, we had faced not only a large number of "classic" breakdowns on our roads, but also a very large number of vehicle breakdowns and technical problems caused by flooding.
THE MAP OF REDION'S SUMMER INTERVENTIONS
During the summer of 2022, Redion Belgium opened assistance files on every continent (135 countries and territories). The map below shows that requests for assistance poured in from all over the world. It illustrates, colour-coded, the total number of medical files recorded worldwide and the technical interventions carried out on vehicles in Europe.
