No one wants to be stranded on the side of the road but chances are sooner or later it will happen to you. Whether a flat tire, dead battery, mechanical breakdown or other roadside emergency derails you, when your vehicle becomes disabled it can disrupt your entire day by making you late for work or leaving you stranded on the highway while traveling. When vehicle emergencies leave you stranded, roadside assistance services can get you back on track. Many states provide some type of roadside emergency services, however, relying on state sponsored services may leave you stranded.
Just like the services provided by private roadside assistance plans can vary, so can the services offered by states who offer emergency roadside assistance. Some states may offer assistance with only basic needs like changing a spare or providing a gallon of gas when motorists run out. Other states may offer additional benefits including providing a tow in case of mechanical breakdown. No state offers comprehensive emergency roadside assistance plans that will include all of the services available from stand-alone roadside assistance coverage. Motorists relying on state sponsored services and find themselves in need of services not provided by the state are left to fend for themselves.
In addition to providing fewer benefits then roadside assistance coverage, states vary on what locations emergency roadside services cover. While some states may offer large coverage areas, generally, states only offer emergency roadside assistance in certain areas. Most states provide roadside emergency services only on interstates (and in some cases other large highways), and typically even those coverage areas are limited to large cities. If this is the case in your state, you will be left to coordinate roadside services from your cell phone on the side of the road.
Finally, as states continue to seek ways to cut budgets, roadside emergency services have increasingly been put up on the chopping block. Just this month a bill to eliminate roadside services passed in the West Virginia House. If the bill passes the West Virginia Senate and is signed into law by the governor, West Virginia will no longer provide emergency roadside services to motorists. Legislators from other states seeking to balance their budgets may soon follow suit.
The best way to insure you will have emergency roadside service when you need it is to purchase roadside assistance coverage. Best Roadside Service offers a range of emergency roadside assistance plans to fit your individual, family, or commercial needs. Plans provide 24/7/365 coverage anywhere in the USA and Canada. Coverage includes emergency towing service, battery jumpstart service, up to 3 gallons of fuel delivery (gas is free!), lock-put services and emergency personal assistance such as access to trip and routing services and a 24-Hour 800 hotline. Depending on your needs you can choose from vehicles plans which follow the vehicle, regardless of who is driving (the perfect choice for vehicles with multiple drivers), or individual plans which follow the member, no matter what vehicle they’re in (even if they are not driving).