Tag Archives: roadside assistance

Roadside assistance is one of the benefits often included with an auto protection plan. It is an easy feature for the auto protection administrator to add as its not very expensive and sounds good to the customer.

We decided to dig deeper and explore what Roadside Assistance is all about.

What is Roadside Assistance?

It is loosely defined as a service provided by an organization that assists drivers in emergency situations on the road. The most common types of assistance include fuel ups, flat tire help, towing and navigation help. Level of service varies by provider so be sure to check with your provider.

The good

• It is a useful benefit to have: fuel ups, towing, flat tire assistance, etc
• You will not be limited to AAA-like plan
• Roadside assistance is often not limited to a specific vehicle and follows the driver
• Roadside assistance is tranferrable across owners

The bad

• Roadside assistance is one of those things that people “have” but don’t use (remember your gym membership?)
• Assistance may be limited geographically (state limit or country limit)

The ugly

• Roadside assistance may be included already in a variety of services you pay for: cell phone service, credit card memberships, etc.

Bottom line: Roadside assistance is useful if you really need it and will not forget to use it. Beware of getting roadside assistance just for the sake of getting it.