my son skidded off the road last night

[MissMillie]

Roads were slick... apparently, he didn't notice. I guess it was a close call w/ 2 other cars, but he managed to miss them, thankfully.

One tire in a ditch, had to call for a tow truck to pull him out. $90 I didn't have.

But he's ok, it seems his car is ok, he wasn't cited for any violations, no one was hurt, and I think now he'll slow down a bit.

I think he and I need to invest in tow truck. $90 for 10 minutes of work. We could have that truck paid off in a year and be independently wealthy in 2 years.

[Pool Hall Ace]

1. I'm glad your son is okay.

I've thought about investing in a two truck myself. My cell phone number used to belong to a towing company. I've had the number for three years, yet I still get calls requesting a tow truck (most recently 2:00 this morning). :boring:

[MissMillie]

2. At $90/pop (or more)

5 to 7 jobs a day.... talk about a racket.

[marzipanni]

3. For $83.00 a year you both could have AAA roadside assistance

http://www.aaa.com/aaa/240/sne/membership/joinaaa.html?zip=01540&keyword=aaa%20road%20service&gcid=S15141x017-Test1

I'm getting it again so we don't have to worry about getting a flat changed or a tow for my trusty (knock on wood) 17-year-old Volvo, or DH's 20-year-old truck. :)

[MissMillie]

7. Do you think it would be tacky for me to put that in his Christmas stocking?

Given that I paid for this tow, it's almost like I'd be giving myself a gift....

[marzipanni]

9. No, it would be an expression of your caring

with a little elbow nudge attached.

[no name no slogan]

14. I get a AAA card for xmas every year from my mom (and I'm 38)

...and it usually ends up paying for itself within six months. If you drive an older vehicle or live in a place with harsh weather it's well worth the investment.

[PeaceNikki]

15. Please consider alternatives. AAA is bad bad news and they use your $$ for bad stuff.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7202333&mesg_id=7202333

Alternative here: http://www.betterworldclub.com/

[DS1]

4. Triple-A

It's wonderful.

[av8rdave]

5. So glad to hear your son is OK. That's the most important thing

Does your insurance offer towing coverage? Granted, over the years it will cost more than a tow, but if money is tight it can help with the monthly budget if anything like this happens.

If you live in a winter weather state, a tow truck with a snowplow on it can make you a ton of $$$.

[supernova]

6. Third rec for Triple A

It's so worth it. And they come to you no matter where you are, no matter what odd hour it is.

[tigereye]

8. I can't tell you how many times i have skidded off the road, street, etc.

since I started driving in the winter. It does make you slow down, though.

It's kind of a rite of passage, and luckily, I never hit anything!

[PeaceNikki]

10. So glad everyone is ok!! Oh... and a liberal friendly alternative to AAA.

http://www.betterworldclub.com/?source=adwords+bwc&utm_nooverride=1&gclid=CIeA4YLphZACFTgrOAod4kYKuA

:hi:

[KitchenWitch]

11. Another endorsement for AAA and a long story attached.

When I moved down here from Minnesota last year, I drove my van. We stayed one night in Grand Junction, CO, and set out the next day, to try and get to Vegas. About 55 miles into that segment, my van overheated. We had plenty of bottled water so we filled the radiator up with water and set off again. It overheated again within 10 miles. I decided (wisely) not to push it. So we called AAA. It was 100 degrees out. Thankfully there was a cell signal.

We were close to Green River, UT (about 20 miles), so the dispatcher figured we would be towed to Green River. When the tow truck driver got to us, he informed us that we would be better off getting towed back to Grand Junction, as there were better mechanics there, and it is easier to get parts. So we deferred to the tow truck driver's judgment.

He towed us to a garage that he recommended highly. The owner of the garage was, dare I say it, honest and ethical. Turned out that one of my hoses ruptured. He replaced the hose, total cost was around $200. He also moved my van up on his priority list, so we stayed one more night in Grand Junction. We were in SoCal two days later.

I am so grateful for the honesty of the mechanic and the fact that the tow truck driver took me to his garage.

[Swede]

12. You can't see "black ice",so there is no way to watch for it.

Just drive slower in winter is the only thing I can give as advice. And AAA is good insurance to have.

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Whew! Glad it turned out more or less ok

[Shine]

16. Glad he's OK, MM

just another reminder of how quickly things can change in our lives....

:hug:

[Cabcere]

17. Wow, that's really scary. I'm so glad your son is OK!

:scared: :hug:

[hedgehog]

18. But it wasn't 10 minutes work. The tow truck had to be driven to the site, the

guy had to hook the car up (which I'm guessing may have involved some crawling around in the slush), then the guy had to drive back to his garage. Add in the cost of the truck, cost of insurance, cost of gasoline and the time spent waiting for the next call and you can see that $90 is about right.