02 Mondeo reversing lights

My emergency car kit consists of my mobile phone and my AA membership card!

Chris

Ah! You must be rich then! I can't afford the AA.

Rob Graham

Rob Graham gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Roadside assistance - £28/year.

On the contrary; you must be rich if you think you can afford to pay for any potential recovery!

Chris

But none of my cars ever break down (apart from reversing lights, of course).

Of course not; firstly, you have a Ford, secondly you get excellent advice on maintenance here ;-)

Of course, the first time you get a puncture on a wet night on the Motorway, you might live (hopefully) to regret your shortsightedness...

Chris

I can, but I can't always afford to wait for them. When my daughter had a puncture in a dodgy area of Manchester some years ago, and called me, I was sitting down to a cooked meal. I told her to call the AA and lock herself in, ate my tea, and drove the five miles or so to where she was stuck.

By the time the AA arrived I'd taken the wheel off, driven to a garage to inflate the flat spare, and got back just as he appeared.

"Can I help" he said, so I let him grease the rusty old jack from her car.

What's the current charge for being towed off a motorway?

Actually, of course I jest. The reality is that I have AA cover with my bank. Is it free? Depends on how you look at it. It's free provided I pay the monthly fee, which provides me with a lot of other goodies that I actually want.

Well, there's no set charge; it will depend on the part of the country, time of day, day of the week, and whatever the operator can get away with.

There won't be many occasions when it's less than a year's AA/RAC/Green Flag/whatever membership..

Bear in mind also that the police will arrange to have their preferred operator remove a vehicle to storage if left for more than a short time, and if you don't collect it straight away, you will also have to pay storage fees before the vehicle will be released.

Chris

For every tale of bad service, their will at least as many where operators exceed their brief. My stepson was a patrol for 6 years. He had

Luck will also play a part; how busy the service is, time of day, part of the country, etc.

The AA control do prioritise calls on the basis of risk to the member; factors include location, time of day, lone female, children present, persons with disabilities and others.

Chris

I must tell them my age if I have to call them. :-) The last time was a bit embarrassing, flat battery at home, but he was there within about 20 minutes, during which time I'd put the battery on charge. I needed to get to an appointment, or I'd have left it on charge.