No! How about now? NO! how about now/ NO!!!!

[Chromatix]

It *is* an interesting question.

In their home area, I would expect people to have their own favourite mechanic. Even if it's just the local $maker's dealer, or the quick-lube-&-tyres place they visit to have the basics done. They also probably know people who, in a pinch, could come to pick them up or even give them a ghetto tow. So the need for a "club" to handle those details for them is not so high.

However, given the sparse density of railways in America, cars are also heavily used for longer-distance journeys. There are lots of places where, in the event of a breakdown, the nearest garage of any sort might be dozens of miles away, and it probably won't be one with a recognisable name. It's not at all guaranteed that, in such a place, the average consumer would be able to locate it. A "club" would not only have access to a directory of such places indexed by location, but would also have built up a sense of their reputation. In theory, anyway.

Motoring clubs in Britain also tend to offer perks beyond mere breakdown service; they also tend to operate their own tow vehicles in most areas, rather than subcontracting. The two biggest ones, at least, run their own driving schools. At least one of them emphasises that the *member* is covered, rather than the *vehicle* - so it is common for parents to buy their children memberships, so that they can get whatever vehicle they're travelling in sorted out if they happen to go visiting.

I honestly don't know if American clubs offer similar perks.

[Antares]

Dunno what the Same Letter Motor Club financials/membership looks like, but for me it is worth it.

A few years back my car broke down...just quit...out on a country road with spotty cell phone reception. I knew who I was calling. Knew they'd work out the details. An hour or so later a truck showed up...mainly because the truck sent for me originally got sent to a wreck...and they towed me the 20 or so miles back to the shop I wanted to use. Out of pocket cost? $0 (Not counting the annual fee. But I expect that that tow would have exceeded my annual fee.)

Other benefits make it even more worthwhile. At least for me.

[Shalom]

At least one of them emphasises that the *member* is covered, rather than the *vehicle*

That's how the Three Letters works: whatever you happen to currently be driving, that's what's covered. Not sure of the rest of them; I've had my insurance through Every State ever since I got out of assigned risk (i.e. after one year), but I've never tried their roadside assistance plan. That one might have been per vehicle, rather than per member.

I also did have some roadside assistance plan through Subaru for the first three years of leasing that car. Never had to call them once, as it happens. Not sure if that's good design or just plain luck.

[Chromatix]

If the vehicle is properly maintained, then for the most part what you're buying is peace-of-mind. Hence my point about even children having memberships; they don't have to be driving it to use the benefits, just passengers. (There's undoubtedly a clause limiting the size of the vehicle, on the grounds that a large vehicle should be using commercial assistance.)

[Seshat]

I would NOT even dream of doing an Australian road journey without some sort of tow/breakdown coverage. I might - MIGHT - consider it if I were in a heavily populated coastal area. But as soon as you get beyond those zones, you're easily talking about three or four hours of driving between places where you might get help. Or drinkable water. Or food. And that's in the more populous parts of the outback.

For safety's sake, there are people trying to get all of Aussieland's roads - or at least highways - covered with cellphone connectivity. Even if all one can contact is the emergency call center.

The emergency contact can get the PEOPLE to the nearest police station or other source of safety. Then the tow/breakdown service gets the car moved.


... But Australia, while not unique, is different from the more habitable parts of the world. We're more comparable to the Canadian (or Siberian) tundra than to, say, the American Great Plains.

[prjkt]

... But Australia, while not unique, is different from the more habitable parts of the world. We're more comparable to the Canadian (or Siberian) tundra than to, say, the American Great Plains.

We close certain roads due to the weather. Not cold/snow, but heat. It's actually illegal to drive across places like the Simpson Desert as you're most likely to die before you read the other side at certain times of the year

[earl colby pottinger]

Death Valley

We close certain roads due to the weather. Not cold/snow, but heat. It's actually illegal to drive across places like the Simpson Desert as you're most likely to die before you read the other side at certain times of the year

Does anyone know if the same applies to Death Valley?

[gerund]

Does anyone know if the same applies to Death Valley?

Death Valley is about 3,000 sq mi while the Simpson Desert in Australia is 68,100 sq mi.

You could drive across Death Valley in a few hours, while the Simpson Desert does not have roads as such. You can drive over it with a 4WD, but you have to carry extra fuel and water, and all your own spares and tools.

[Seshat]

There are ENORMOUS road signs warning people when they get to the end of 'safety' (or relative safety) in Australia. The road maps also have 'get permission before going here' zones marked. We don't want tourists (or locals!) to die.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

There are ENORMOUS road signs warning people when they get to the end of 'safety' (or relative safety) in Australia. The road maps also have 'get permission before going here' zones marked. We don't want tourists (or locals!) to die.

Yes, but how many people actually pay attention?

[Ironclad Alibi]

Yes, but how many people actually pay attention?

They only ignore those signs once.

[AccountingDrone]

Yes, but how many people actually pay attention?

Darwinism in action. If you are too stupid to obey safety instructions, you shouldn't be allowed to breed, or endanger others to save your sorry ass.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

Nothing like seeing those signs on the Tablelands saying no fuel for 500km... I've had cars that didn't get that on a full tank o gas.

[Argabarga]

Some people around here ACT like having to wait 20 minutes, in a parking lot, is the same as trying to cross a desert....

Honey, this is Suburbia, USA, in 2014. On the scale of major roadside disasters of the world, yours probably doesn't even rate

[gerund]

no fuel for 500km.

Years ago I went on holidays, fishing in the Gulf. There were three of us in a van towing a trailer. We had plenty of spare fuel, spare tyres, tools and some fencing wire. (You can fix almost anything with fencing wire - we fixed a broken engine mount with some at the end of our trip)

From Cairns to Croydon is 527 km (327 miles) and we stopped once to fill our tank before Croydon, then again in Croydon. Croydon was three houses and a Service Station that was closed on a Saturday. The people who ran it lived in the house behind it and would open if you asked nicely, We asked nicely.

We went on to Normanton another 156 km down the road (97 miles). If we had not filled our tank in Croydon we would have had to use our reserve to get to Normanton. Indeed, on the way back on the following Saturday we were late getting to Croydon and just continued on until we were very low, then used our reserve.

It is difficult to convey to anyone how desolate this road is. It is dirt, not fenced and has no habitation of any sort for the full length of it. There is no water (in the dry season anyway), not much in the way of trees or shade and most certainly no where to put fuel in your car. There are few cars on this road. On the way there we did not see one car going in either direction, and on the way back we saw one van going in the opposite direction.

Those of you who live in highly populated areas will not understand this, but you would be lucky to see another person on that road in a week.

On the way back to Croydon we were waved down by a lady driving a van. She looked (quite a bit) like a hippy and the van she was driving was like those delivery vans with a sliding door. She waved us down and asked where the next Service Station was. Bob our driver said "Normanton" and she replied "There must be some place closer!" in a very disbelieving tone.

I had not found Customers Suck as this was the mid 1980s, but she was the epitome of a self entitled bitch as the next words out of her mouth was "Do you have any spare fuel?"

We did not give her any of ours - it was not spare - we needed it all to get back to Cairns. We knew we had a long way to go and likely closed Service Stations all the way.

I don't know what happened to her, but she did not die as that would have made the local news. It most likely cost her a lot of money. Next time read the map, crazy lady!