Travel call

Plaque on the median of a Reichsautobahn , 1938

The board is on the median, on the left the gas station (photo was taken between 1936 and 1939)

The travel call is a message to a person on a journey about a personal emergency. Usually a travel call is broadcast by radio . Because of the widespread use of mobile phones, the travel call has played an increasingly minor role since the beginning of the 21st century.

history

The introduction of the travel announcement by radio announcement is linked to the spread of car radios and began in Germany in 1961. 23 years earlier, the National Socialist General Inspection for German Roads had tried to notify motorists of emergencies with messages posted on the median in front of motorway service stations.

This project was called "Reichsautobahn-Reiseruf", started on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 1938 and was discontinued on September 1, 1939 when the war began. Black notice boards with the inscription “Fernruf für:…” were put up on the median in front of the service stations or gas stations. The gas station attendant was responsible for populating this board with information. The telecommunications office responsible for the region was equipped with maps and forwarded the travel call to the gas stations in question. This gas station attendant immediately informed the two neighboring gas stations (which at that time were typically about 60 km apart) about the travel call. The gas station attendant then wrote the name of the traveler they were looking for or the license plate number of their vehicle on this board. It was important to know which direction and what approximate average speed the traveler was traveling at to ensure that he read the message as he drove by. He then drove to the corresponding rest stop and called the target person from there.

The travel call via radio experienced a boom in Europe and the USA in the 1960s due to increasing travel activity and a new technology for car radios. In Germany the travel call was associated with the largest automobile club and was called " ADAC -Reiseruf". In its 1962 travel special, the editorial team urgently advises keeping this communication channel in mind:

“The ADAC travel calls are a new performance [...] for car tourists. Under this keyword, urgent personal messages to German drivers can be sent to the ADAC offices for announcements via the Radio Luxemburg and Italian radio stations. Fixed broadcasting times have been introduced for the ADAC travel calls: Radio Luxembourg broadcasts the messages daily from 2:50 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on short wave 49.26 m = 6090 kHz and on medium wave 208 m = 1439 kHz. [...] The Saarland radio broadcasts the messages Monday to Friday from 1:50 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1:35 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in its program “Small Tips for Motorists”. […] The Italian radio broadcasts the announcements as part of its program “Benvenuto in Italia”, […] whereby the programs are in German from 8.15 am to 8.30 am. The broadcast is easy to receive throughout the Italian territory. "

The requests for announcements could be made in person at an ADAC office or by telephone, telex and telegram by presenting the identity card. Alternatively, those staying at home in need could also go to an official body such as the police, town hall or hospital. The automobile club advised its members: "Before you start your trip abroad, inform your relatives about this help in case of need!" The success of the travel call was so great that the ADAC was already negotiating with radio stations and partner clubs in other countries as early as 1962, including Switzerland and Great Britain.

Todays situation

Today's travel call is broadcast on the radio . This can be, for example, the death or illness of a relative, major material damage such as an apartment fire , but also the availability of an expected donor organ .

In Germany, requests for a travel call can be answered by the ADAC on telephone number (0 18 05) 10 11 12 or by Hessischer Rundfunk as the coordination point for the ARD broadcasters on telephone number (0 69) 1 55 33 33. There, prior to broadcasting, a doctor , hospital , funeral home or the police are asked to ensure that the travel call is not being misused.

A travel call is passed on to the radio stations throughout Europe in whose reception area the addressee is presumably located. In addition to the name and place of residence (“Mr. Max Müller from Musterstadt”), the addressee's vehicle with its registration number and the presumed whereabouts (“currently probably on the road in the xyz area with a green VW Beetle with the registration number X-YZ 123 “) so that he can be informed by other road users if he has not heard the travel call himself. In addition, there is a request for action ("you are asked to contact xxx immediately"). Information about the reason for the travel call is usually not given.

Due to the increasing use of mobile phones , the number of travel calls has fallen sharply in recent years. In 1998 around 1000 travel calls were broadcast nationwide, in 2007 only 121. In 2012, three travel calls were broadcast.