What If Your Car Breaks Down
During An Out-of-Town Trip?
Your Insurance Got You Covered!
After a hectic schedule at work, you finally get your vacation leave approved. Now you can go out-of-town with your family. But all that excitement is temporarily halted because your car broke down in the middle of the expressway. You decide to pull over to the side and do some basic troubleshooting. Finally, after several attempts, you decided to call for help.
A car breaking down can be a hassle. But emergencies like that can happen and you need to be prepared for such eventualities. Getting car insurance will help you be on your way and enjoy a day or two with your family and away from work-related worries. An Assurance PH car insurance policy comes with roadside assistance so you can get on the road without worries.
Hassle-Free Trip With Road Assistance Program
A roadside assistance program (RAP) is a value-added service exclusive to Assurance PH comprehensive car insurance policyholders. RAP provides emergency roadside emergency services. Under the program, you will receive the following benefits: ‘
Vehicle Assistance
- Towing up to P5,000
- Crane services up to P10,000
- Minor on-site repairs like jump start, battery boosting, delivery of emergency gasoline, lockout, or tire change
As the policyholder, you will be entitled to a maximum of 3 events per year, in case of accident, unlimited. The service is covered only in the following areas: Metro Manila, Cainta, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Bataan, Bicol, Olongapo, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cabanatuan, and La Union.
Personal Assistance
In case your car cannot be repaired within 48 hours, Assurance PH will cover the following:
- Cost of Hotel Accommodation up to P2,000 per year if car breakdown happens at least 80 kilometers away from your place of residence.
- Replacement Vehicle up to P2,000 a year to bring you to your original destination
- Cost of bringing the driver back to their home up to P1,000 per year if breakdown occurs at least 80 kilometers from your usual place of residence
- Locksmith assistance in the event that you may have lost or misplaced the key to the insured vehicle
- Cost of hospital admission if you or your beneficiaries need to be hospitalized as a result of an accident involving the enrolled vehicle.
- Ambulance assistance in key cities nationwide. If you need to be transferred from an inadequate to an adequate medical facility in case of a vehicular accident involving your enrolled vehicle. This is subject to availability, geographical limitations, weather, and traffic conditions. The cost of ambulance assistance shall be shouldered by you.
- Legal Assistance related to vehicular accident and/or assistance
What To Do During A Highway Breakdown
Accidents can happen anytime while you are driving. For this reason, roadside safety should be your top priority. Having an understanding of roadside safety can make a difference between staying safe and becoming part of the statistics. Here are some tips on what to do in case your car broke down.
Pull Over To Safety
Move your vehicle to a safe spot. As much as possible, don’t get out of your vehicle or even repair or check it while on a busy or deserted highway. If you have a flat or tire blowout, pull over to a safe spot first before changing tires while remaining aware of your surroundings.
Exit the vehicle only if your car broke down in a residential area. Otherwise, stay in your vehicle until assistance arrives. Standing beside or behind an immobilized vehicle is very risky and might cause injury or even death.
Call For Help
When calling for help, stay inside your immobilized vehicle. Don’t stand outside the vehicle exposed in the flow of traffic. If your car broke down in a risky area, call the police inside your car keeping the doors locked until help arrives.
Never solicit help or accept assistance from other motorists or bystanders no matter how desperate you may feel. Only seek assistance from the professionals.
Be Prepared
Always have a good spare tire, reflective triangles, emergency tool kit, fully charged mobile phone and charger. Turn on your hazard lights to warn other drivers of a problem ahead. Make sure that the number of your roadside assistance provider and other emergency numbers is stored on your phone.
Have a copy of your car insurance, vehicle owner’s manual, and emergency numbers backup list stored in your glove compartment for ready reference.
Be Patient
During emergency situations, it is best to keep calm and practice patience. Assurance PH will make sure that help will be on the way to get you out of your predicament.
How To Prevent Your Car From Breaking Down
Going on an out-of-town trip provides the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with your family and momentarily forget about work-related concerns. However, a car breaking down in the middle of the trip can be a hassle. Here are some tips on how you can save time during your trip and avoid vehicle breakdown:
1. Remember BLOWBAGETS
Before leaving for your trip, check the following:
Battery
Lights
Oil
Water
Brakes
Air
Gasoline
Engine
Tires
Self
2. Schedule a check-up with your mechanic
Before going on a long trip, take your vehicle to your favorite mechanic. They will perform basic maintenance like checking wiper and fluid levels. They may also tune-up or change oil your car to make sure that it is in good condition and ready for your trip.
3. Inspect tire pressure and tread
On a long drive, having a flat tire sucks. Check the air pressure and make sure that there are no bulges or holes. The tires should have a good amount of tread left. If you don’t have a gauge, the best way is to hold a quarter upside down in the tread. If the tire treads are already worn out, you need to change tires as soon as possible.
4. Always keep an emergency kit
Your car breaking down already puts you in a worse situation. Not having the necessary equipment will only make matters even worse. Make sure that you have an emergency kit at the trunk of your car. Make sure that you have a spare tire, oil, water, flashlights, rags, and extra spark plugs. Also, you should have medical supplies, first aid kit, medicines, food, and others.
5. Plan your route
Knowing your route ahead of time will help you reach your destination safely and without any disruptions. Look for gas stations or restaurants along the way in case of accidents or unexpected emergencies. It also pays to have traffic-enabled devices like Waze to notify you of traffic congestion along the route.
Knowing these safety tips will help ensure that you will have a hassle-free trip so you can have fun and enjoy with your family at your destination.
Having an insurance policy is one of the best ways you can protect your car. It gives you financial leverage to cover accident-related costs and expenses. Give your pocket a break for payments due to accidents when driving your car. Get in touch with an Assurance.PH advisor for more details at contact@assurance.ph / 09157052031 or 09052050402.