But Dad, Do I HAVE to Add Emergency Roadside Assistance to My Car Insurance Policy?

Do you remember when your father first handed you the car keys, then spent thirty minutes telling you what you should do with them so that you were so late there was no point in going out anyway? And you always thought your dad was just long winded! Regardless, parents have some valuable lessons to pass on to their children, and one of those lessons is that you should never hit the friendly highways before you’ve added emergency roadside assistance services to your car insurance policy.

Before you pick up the phone and cancel your services purely on principle, sit back and relax. If you have emergency roadside assistance you’re not only in good company, you’re also making a good decision. You never know when you’re going to find yourself stuck on the side of the Interstate in the middle of the night because your starter decided to blow a gasket, and the last thing you want is to be dependent on a stranger for a ride to the nearest gas station to call a tow truck.

If emergency roadside assistance is a part of your car insurance policy you won’t have to worry about it. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call your car insurance provider and they’ll dispatch a tow truck your way. And because adding this roadside protection service is usually cheaper than, say, getting busted by the cops for going 80 in a 55 you can enjoy that peace of mind without your bank account paying the price.

Of course, you knew that. Your dad gave you that spiel the day he sent you off to college. What you probably didn’t know is that your car insurance provider’s emergency roadside assistance service might be redundant. You may already be paying for emergency services and not even know it!

How is that possible?

1) Many organizations offer the option for an emergency roadside assistance service as a standard part of their membership plans.

2) Some companies, such as AT&T, offer emergency roadside assistance as part and parcel of their general service packages-and the amount they charge may be so small that without a quick eye you wouldn’t even notice it.

3) There are a number of companies, such as AAA, that specialize in emergency roadside assistance services, and many drivers purchase this decision for themselves (and their children) as soon as they begin to drive.

Why does it matter? For starters, you really don’t want to have to pay for dual roadside assistance services. That just takes a bite out of a budget that’s undoubtedly already stretched thinner than you’d like it to be. Not to mention the fact that removing this service from your insurance plan puts you in the fast track for cheap car insurance-it may not cost a great deal to purchase emergency services from your insurance provider, but when you’re trying to cut the fat off of your policy every little bit helps.

So, the next time you decide to go shopping around for car insurance quotes, keep in mind what your father told you-and find out whether emergency roadside assistance services are part of your insurance provider’s standard operating package.