10 Reasons to Consider Adding Roadside Assistance

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy flickr

Americans love their cars.  That’s a fact.  Another fact is while modern automobiles are extremely reliable, they are also extremely complicated.  This means that there are more ways than ever for cars to wind up breaking down far from home.  If you’ve ever had your car’s dashboard light up only to feel the engine cut out when you were tooling down the interstate, then you know that unless you’re lucky, you’re going to need a tow.  Unless you have roadside assistance of some kind, the cost to tow your vehicle to a service center could cost you several hundred dollars.  Since adding Roadside Assistance to your insurance costs a fraction of that amount, I thought I’d take the time to give you 10 reasons to consider adding it to your auto policy.  

      1.      Flat Tire – There was a time many years ago when changing a tire wasn’t all that big of a deal.  That’s because before the turn of the century, auto companies provided a full-sized spare and a sturdy bumper jack to make the job of changing a flat fairly straight forward.  Today’s cars come with a pint-sized spare tire and a tiny jack that is tricky to use, particularly if there is traffic whizzing by.  That’s also why changing a flat tire is the number one reason motorists call for roadside assistance.

      2.      High-tech cars with high-tech problems – Late model cars aren’t so much motor vehicles as they are rolling computers.  Just as your laptop can experience tech troubles, so too can your car, especially in places like Florida where extreme summer heat takes a toll on touchy electronics.  If you’ve ever had your dashboard light up like a Christmas tree only to have your car came to a dead stop, then you know that a technology glitch can leave you sitting on the side of the road.

     

Image courtesy pixabay

3.       A dead car battery.  It’s quite common for a car battery to last only 3-4 years in the Sunshine State.  While you might be able to talk another motorist into giving you a jump, if you don’t have cables, you could be out of luck.  You also need to take care when jumping a battery, since it can either give you a nasty shock or even explode if you don’t know what you’re doing.

      4.      Have you ever locked your keys in your car or had your key fob battery die only to keep you from starting your car?  The good thing about electronic key fobs and key-less entry systems is they’re designed to provide you with another level of security.  The bad thing is if the battery in the fob dies, good luck getting your car started. 

      5.      Running out of gas is always bad news.  Especially if you do so on a busy highway.  Unless you have a gas can in the trunk, fetching gas is out of the question, even if you manage to reach a gas station. 

      6.      Simple mechanical problems can and do leave motorists stranded by the side of the road.  In years past, if a fan belt broke you could probably limp to a service station.  Not so today.  Your car’s serpentine belt runs a number of key systems.  If the belt fails, so too will the engine.  The same holds true for a leaky radiator hose, a loose brake pad or even something as simple as a clogged air filter.

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      7.      A fender bender can leave your car unable to be safely driven, especially if the accident was severe enough to trigger the deployment of the air bags.  Even a simple parking lot collision can cause enough damage to require a tow.

      8.      A major collision could cause major damage to your vehicle that could require more than a simple tow truck. If your vehicle is involved in a roll over, it could take a crane to turn it right-side up. 

      9.      24/7 roadside assistance means you will be able to call for help any time of the day or night, 365 days of the year.  For those without roadside assistance, good luck finding assistance in the dead of night.

      10.  The cost of accommodations will be covered by the insurer if your vehicle breaks down far from home and it takes more than a few hours to repair.  For those without the coverage, the cost comes out of their pockets.

What to do if your car breaks down

Here’s another newsflash: Unless your car is on fire, you should stay with the vehicle.  It’s all too easy to wind up injured or killed by passing vehicles, particularly at night.  If possible, you should do the following if your vehicle becomes disabled:

      1.      Pull to the side of the road.

      2.      Turn on your flashers.

      3.      Do NOT get out of the car if you have broken down on a busy highway.

      4.      Call for assistance.

      5.      If for some reason you can’t get a cellphone signal, your next best bet is to try to flag down a police car.  (If you’ve pulled your car to the side of the road with your flashers on, any State Trooper or local policeman who sees you will stop to help.)

      6.      It’s better to sleep in your car while waiting for help than to leave your car to start wandering around in the dark.

      7.      If you’re forced to walk away from your vehicle, lock your car and leave a note under the windshield wiper explaining where you’re headed.  This way if the police see your vehicle, they’ll know where to start looking for you.

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about saving money on your auto insurance, check out her website at  http://autoinsuranceorangeparkfl.com/