There are over 6 million passenger car accidents every year in the US. Think about the chances of you getting in a car accident if you drive regularly. This hazardous nature of road travel is why car insurance is so necessary and mandatory to have.
From liability insurance that is mandatory in almost every state to personal injury protection plans in 12 states and uninsured motorist coverage required in 14 states, the bill for car insurance can get a bit long.
That’s not all. Collision and comprehensive insurance are two essential, optional car insurance policies that are equally important. So amidst spending thousands of dollars on car insurance, should you get emergency road service with your car insurance?
Let’s look at all the possible situations where spending on emergency road service would be worth it and when you should avoid it at all costs.
What is Emergency Road Service?
Emergency road service, as the name suggests, is a service you can opt for if you get in an emergency in the middle of the road. It is popularly known as roadside assistance, and unlike other insurance policies like collision or comprehensive insurance, it is just an add-on.
An insurance add-on is something that does not operate on itself, but it is added to your policy to make it more valuable based on your needs. Roadside assistance is used by people who travel on the road a lot, and there are some genuine benefits for the price you pay for it.
Benefits of Roadside Assistance
Roadside assistance is quite popular in the US, but is it right for you? Some great benefits come with it. Roadside assistance can be availed when you are stuck on the road with the following issues:
● Flat tire
● Discharged/dead battery
● No gas
● Towing requirement
● Additional services depending on the company
For example, if you are on a road trip in the middle of the freeway flanked by desert on both sides. What happens if you get a flat tire and cannot replace it yourself? This is the time when you call for roadside assistance.
Do note that insurance companies will send a mechanic to change your tire, not get you a new one. You’ll have to pay for the tire from your pocket, as insurance companies do not cover flat tires in most cases.
Similarly, if you are on a road trip and your car’s battery dies, roadside assistance would get you, someone, to jump-start your car’s battery. If nothing works, a towing service is also included with roadside assistance to the nearest mechanic shop.
Gas refills are also included with roadside assistance, but you can only avail of them once or twice during the policy period. The most common use for roadside assistance is people calling to get their car unlocked (it happens more frequently than you’d imagine).
There are some genuine benefits and uses of roadside assistance, but that does not mean these benefits are for everyone. Roadside assistance is only worth buying for people who need the services. Let’s evaluate whether you need roadside assistance or not.
Is Roadside Assistance for You?
Roadside assistance is comparatively cheap in almost every state. But it still is an added and extra cost. Let’s say that you live in a state where apart from liability insurance, a personal injury protection plan and uninsured motorist coverage are also mandatory.
Now add in the cost of collision coverage and comprehensive insurance. Collision insurance is costly, costing over one thousand dollars in many cases. While comprehensive insurance is not that expensive, $300-$400 is still a substantial amount of money.
This excess expenditure on car insurance is one of the most common reasons why many people skip optional insurance policies. If you feel like you are overspending on auto insurance, make sure you compare all the options and choose the most affordable option.
For example, if you live in Nevada, make sure you search for
cheap Nevada car insurance and compare the quotes from all the companies. Select the one with the best coverage and most affordable rates. Look for more than just the lowest-priced option.
Who Needs Roadside Assistance
Let’s say that you spend a lot of time putting miles on your car’s dashboard. Or maybe you like to take extended tours on the road. Then getting roadside assistance (along with uninsured motorist coverage) would be very important.
The more you travel, the higher your chances of getting in a car accident; this is a statistical fact. If you take a lot of road trips on the freeways where cars are always at a very high speed, then the risk of an accident is even higher.
What if while you are traveling and get a flat tire? Roadside assistance is worth it if you do not want to get into the hassle of managing your car’s mechanical failures yourself.
Who Does Not Need Roadside Assistance
Roadside assistance is not worth it for the average Joe who uses his car to commute to work or weekend drives to the nearest Subway. People who do not drive for longer distances or rarely take the freeway have no use for roadside assistance.
You can always buy roadside assistance if you can afford it. An added bit of protection for road travel is always better to have. But if you want to cut off the expenditure on car insurance policies and save some money, and you do not travel too much, skip roadside assistance.
Meta
Here’s all you need to know about who should get emergency road service with their car insurance and who should avoid it, and why.
