When the car stops running - the SOS telephone assistance service 50 years ago
In the age of cell phones, it is hard to imagine the importance of the SOS telephone stations on Alpine roads and later on the highway network. However, this service for all road users already had a long tradition in 1961, when the two photos were taken.
As early as 1930, the ACS (Automobile Club of Switzerland) began setting up SOS telephone stations in Switzerland, which drivers in distress on pass roads in the Alps (St. Gotthard, Simplon and Klausen) could use to call for help. In 1961, the 350 SOS stations operated by the two automobile associations ACS and TCS, which came in various forms, were important aids for motorists and road users in distress.
Today, hardly anyone can remember ever having used such an emergency telephone.
