About Roadside Help

Most drivers, at some point in their lives, will unfortunately find themselves in a situation where roadside help or roadside assistance is needed. While not mandatory like auto insurance, roadside help is still a very helpful tool to have for drivers in order to avoid danger and excessive expense during emergencies. Here are some things to know about roadside help.

Why Get Roadside Help

Roadside help or assistance, in addition to the mandatory auto insurance, is one of smartest purchases to make in relation to your road safety. It offers the owner assurance that, no matter what driving related emergency may unexpectedly occur, they will be able to get help. It ensures an additional level of safety and reassurance for the driver.

Services Offered

The most common service given by roadside assistance is towing. This can be requested for a number of reasons, such as a flat tire, empty gas tank, overheated engine or a collision. Roadside assistance will also assist in jump-starting your battery should it die, with putting a bit of gas in your tank if you run out while driving and even opening your car if you lock yourself out.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of needing roadside assistance, call up the roadside assistance company to receive help and service. The average wait for their arrival is from 30 minutes to one hour, depending on their proximity to you and if they are busy helping another customer.

Cost

Most insurance companies will have the option of adding roadside assistance to their coverage. If you wish to add roadside help to your insurance coverage, it will probably be an additional $5 to $10 monthly. Other companies like AAA will have an annual membership cost that will vary depending on level of membership, but it will be about $50 to $100 annually.

If you choose not to enroll in roadside assistance either through your insurance company or a private provider like AAA, you will have to rely on paying separate towing/service costs out of pocket, which may be quite expensive.

Top Companies

• AAA


• Geico


• Progressive


• AllState


• Better World