Towing Insurance: What You Should Know About Roadside Assistance

When you select auto insurance, you will be given a variety of options. One of these options is to add roadside assistance to your policy. Many auto insurance policies don't include additional coverage for towing services, which means if your car breaks down, you need to pay for the tow truck out of your own money. However, there are some policies that include roadside assistance either as part of the policy, or as an add-on. Here is what you should know about towing insurance.

What Does Roadside Assistance Include?

The first thing to understand about roadside assistance is that it doesn't only include towing. While towing services are part of the policy, there is a lot more to it. There may be times when you are driving in the snow and get stuck, or accidentally lock your keys in your car. Aside from towing your vehicle to a mechanic or your own home, the towing company can also:

• Change a flat tire
• Help you in your vehicle if you get locked out
• Bring you enough gas to get you to the nearest gas station
• Pull you out of a ditch, mud, or snow

Do You Ever Have to Pay the Tow Company?

There are two different ways roadside assistance works, and it will depend on your auto insurance policy. The first way is the most convenient, and it keeps you from having to pay anything to the tow driver when they come out to help you. With this method, the tow company is automatically paid by the insurance company, usually with a pre-arranged method of payment. All you have to do is call up the tow company, let them know what insurance you have, and they will provide services free of charge.

The other method is with reimbursement from your insurance company. With this method, you still need to pay the tow company when they provide roadside assistance, but then you return the receipt to your insurance company, and they reimburse the money spent on the towing services. With this method, you need to have money when calling the tow truck, and will have to wait to receive a check in the mail.

What Are the Roadside Assistance Stipulations?

You should also be aware that roadside assistance coverage will vary widely based on the insurance policy. There are stipulations with every roadside assistance policy, limiting how many times you can call a tow truck. For example, they might allow a maximum of 3 lockouts in a 12-month period, or only allow the tow truck to tow your vehicle a certain number of miles before they start charging you per-mile. You should find out exactly what is covered under your roadside assistance policy and what rules or exclusions there might be. For more information, contact R & R Towing.