Roadside through insurance can be hit-or-miss, you're right about that. AAA or local towing companies often do have quicker response times—especially in rural areas or smaller towns. About Illinois coverage, uninsured motorist is actually required here (at least the bodily injury part), but the property damage side is optional. Yeah, confusing stuff...but honestly, it's worth having to avoid headaches later on. Hope that helps clear things up a bit!
"AAA or local towing companies often do have quicker response times—especially in rural areas or smaller towns."
That's been my experience as well. Last summer, my '67 Mustang broke down just outside of Springfield, and insurance roadside assistance quoted me nearly two hours. Ended up calling a local towing company instead—they arrived within 30 minutes. Regarding uninsured motorist coverage, I agree it's confusing, but having seen friends deal with uninsured drivers firsthand, I'd say it's definitely worth the extra peace of mind.
"Ended up calling a local towing company instead—they arrived within 30 minutes."
I've been wondering about this exact scenario. As someone new to car insurance, I'm still trying to figure out if roadside assistance through insurance is even worth it. Does anyone know if using local towing services instead of insurance roadside assistance affects your coverage or claims later on? Also, uninsured motorist coverage seems important, but is there a clear way to determine how much coverage is actually enough...?
I wondered the same thing after my battery died last winter. Called insurance roadside, waited forever... ended up doing exactly what you did:
"Ended up calling a local towing company instead—they arrived within 30 minutes."
Never saw any impact on my coverage or claims afterward, so seems fine. Still skeptical about roadside assistance being worth it, tbh.
I've debated dropping roadside assistance too, but honestly, it depends on your situation. If you're driving an older car or frequently traveling longer distances, it can pay for itself pretty quickly. Last year, my alternator went out on a weekend trip—insurance roadside took forever, but the tow was free and saved me about $120. Sure, local towing companies are usually faster, but those out-of-pocket costs add up fast if you're unlucky enough to need them more than once every few years. If your car's newer or you mostly stick close to home, yeah, roadside might be a waste. But for me, the peace of mind is worth the extra few bucks a month... at least for now.
