Breakdown Cover – Three Wheels On Your Wagon?
Author: Adam Leyton
"Three wheels on my wagon, and I'm still rolling along The Cherokees are chasing me, arrows fly, right on by but I'm singing a happy song"!
If you remember that inane song, you are probably of the same vintage as I am.
You will therefore remember the `good old days` of motoring when it was only the better off who could afford the luxury of being a member of either the AA or RAC. Being a member was so elite, in fact, that you were allowed to display a metal badge on your front bumper to signify your allegiance. It also used to amuse me that
on major trunk roads there were AA or RAC `pill-boxes` a bit like the Dr Who tardis type of police box. The idea was that you broke down near one of these strategically placed boxes for which you had a special key to unlock the door. Inside you would find a telephone from which you could summon an AA or RAC breakdown agent to help you on your way. In fact, in their early days, you would also find a gallon of petrol for if you ran out of fuel!
But this was soon discontinued as no one ever replaced it as requested!
These days, we have breakdown cover with a number of different organizations offering pretty much the same basic premise, that they will answer a call for assistance and try to repair your vehicle on the spot if possible. Failing that, they will tow you either home, or to the nearest garage to repair your vehicle, depending upon the level of cover you bought in the first place.
So, breakdown cover today is neither a privilege nor a right, but it is a necessary part of your equipment if you are a driver. Vehicles are generally more reliable these days, which is why the various motoring organizations can offer such cheap basic breakdown cover with the options to upgrade to different levels depending upon what you are prepared to pay.
The days of relying on some Good Samaritan to pull up and offer assistance are long gone, so is the idea of thumbing a lift to get help. Nobody stops to help you these days because of the risk of being robbed or mugged! This is the reason why most insurers are offering breakdown cover as part of their car insurance policies. The problem being that you lose the advantages of choice by doing that.
The sensible way to deal with breakdown cover is to check out the various major suppliers like the AA, RAC and Green Flag for example and see what deals they are offering. That way you have the option of swapping each time they come up for renewal just like you do with your car insurance.
At around £0.18 per day for some of the cheapest basic cover, make sure that the Cherokees do not catch up with you!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/breakdown-cover-three-wheels-on-your-wagon-3845485.html
About the Author
Quote Professor is a new insurance website looking at a number of niche insurance products, one being breakdown cover. Our blog also has plenty more articles like this one.