The simple answer to that question is “yes,” every driver needs to become a member of the AAA (American Automotive Association). No matter how good a driver you are, no matter how knowledgeable you are about cars, no matter how well you prepare to handle roadside emergencies, there comes a time in every driver’s life when he or she will need roadside assistance and that’s where Triple A comes to the rescue.
Triple A Roadside Services
When most people think of the Triple A they think of the emergency roadside services. Founded in 1902, AAA has provided its members with roadside services for over 100 years. It doesn’t matter whether you need gas, a jump start, a tire changed, a tow to the nearest auto service center, or some other roadside emergency service, AAA is only a phone call away.
These roadside services makes membership in AAA mandatory for every driver.
Alright, you carry jumper cables and a “hotbox.” You know how to change a tire and you carry a tubeless tire repair kit as well as a spare. You always carry spare fuel for an emergency but you never let the fuel gauge drop below a quarter tank. You carry spare parts, such as radiator hoses, belts, fuses, etc. You carry a tool kit and know how to use them. But here’s something that happened to me a few years ago that I couldn’t have handled and it or something similar to it could happen to any driver. I was driving on a city street, a street that looked perfectly safe, yet I ran over a piece of sharp metal I didn’t see because it was standing upright in a crack in the pavement. It destroyed both tires on the passenger side of my car and I needed a flatbed tow to the tire store some twenty miles away. That one tow would have cost me what several years membership in AAA had cost me. Today most towing services will charge you $85 just to hook up to your disabled vehicle and then put a per mile charge on top of that.
The Triple A Auto repair Network
Today everyone needs to be on their guard against being ripped off by disreputable repair shops. Membership in the AAA can help you reduce that risk because they have over 7,700 service centers nationwide on their approved list. These shops provide AAA members with, free maintenance inspections, Written estimates that guarantee repair costs can vary by no more than 10 percent unless authorized by you in advance, a nationwide warranty, return of old parts, free vehicle inspection for items that most frequently contribute to roadside breakdown, AAA help in the event of a dispute, discount on services performed, and much more.
Emergency Financial Services
Triple A has evolved into much more than a provider of emergency roadside service provider. Over the years it has expanded it services to include providing emergency financial aide to its members. Today AAA can provide foreign currency exchange services, travelers checks and emergency personal check cashing services for its members. They even offer their own VISA credit card.
Additional benefits
Triple A offers its members discounts on life insurance, home owners insurance, car insurance, travelers insurance, car loans, etc. Triple A provides discounts on cruises, air fares, hotel accommodations. They even provide tools to help you plan you road trips and a great deal more.
In conclusion
There are many other providers of roadside services today, everyone from AARP (American Association For Retired People) to auto insurance companies but almost all of those sources require you to pay the service provider and then send them the receipt and at a later date they reimburse you what you paid upfront. But what if you don’t have the cash to pay for that service? Not many tow truck drivers take plastic or personal checks. Triple A is the only one that provides those services without you having to pay anything out of pocket at the time you receive those services. Even the most basic AAA membership provides a fifty mile free tow. So, in conclusion, membership in AAA is beneficial for every driver and benefits are available to the member no matter whose vehicle he or she is driving and they are available to the driver of any vehicle that the member may be a passenger in. To find a AAA office in your area click here http://www.aaa.com/aaa/sem/sem.htm?redirectto=http://www.aaa.com/?area=JoinSEM&skin=JoinSEM
