THERE’S never a convenient time for your car to breakdown. Wouldn’t it be good if you could give your car some ground rules to obey: no breaking down on motorways or duel carriageways, no breaking down between 23rd December to 3rd January, no breaking down on the way to special events (christenings, weddings and birthday parties), no breaking down on winter nights or in no man’s land where you’ve got more chance of dying from isolation than getting a phone signal. Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms car, you are only permitted to breakdown on a workday whilst stranded directly outside the home – if this is not possible, then I’ll give you a bit of leeway by breaking down outside the garage that carries out your annual service and repairs… this is only permitted during garage opening times. The final thing to add is that a minimum of three months notice is required prior to breaking down and an accurate of cost for repair needs to be submitted. If only…
I had a few breakdowns when I started driving during the late 80s. It would have made sense to have taken out breakdown cover, but I didn’t. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t afford it. Being part of a working class family, the few cars we brought were always secondhand and cost less than £900. Some of them needed work straight after purchasing (new brakes, new exhaust, new tyre). Money was tight so even considering breakdown cover was out of the question, so I had only one alternative: the help of my older brother.
My older brother rescued me on a number of occasions – he’d drive his Ford Granada to my broken down car and get it started (luckily, he had a good knowledge of cars).
My alternative breakdown cover was called Trevor. He came free of charge with no membership fee or card. Getting hold of him straight away was a bit challenging, but all in all quite a reliable and efficient recovery service.
Even though I managed to scrape along without breakdown cover for many years, don’t follow my example by not having it. Family members, friends or neighbours won’t be too please spending hours rescuing you… especially if it’s at some ungodly hour, tipping down with rain and miles away from home! Also, for the record, I am currently with the AA. I’ve had breakdown cover consistently over the last twenty years, usually juggling between the AA, RAC and Green Flag.
My final words are words of advice: it’s wise to have breakdown cover, but it’s also wise to keep your vehicle in good condition… no ditching its regular annual service and no driving for months whilst ignoring the flashing warning lights on the dashboard. As a general rule, if you look after your vehicle, your vehicle will look after you.
The AA – a swift history…
*Started in June 1905 to warn drivers about speed traps. The group called themselves the Motorists’ Mutual Association and formed groups of cyclists that assisted drivers in keeping them safe. By 1923 there were 650 cycle and motorcycle patrolmen that kept drivers on the road. Membership exceeded 100,000 in 1934 and rose to 1 million in 1950. By 1968 cycle-led patrols were replaced with AA branded vehicles.
*Source: Our history – the AA
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