We know quite well that the term breakdown coverage is used in the UK, but of course Americans who normally do bigger things than others also offer this insurance policy sometimes as a roadside assistance policy and They often have a general name like car club. .
But even though paper services resemble breakdown coverage operations here in the UK, the service could actually be in a league of its own. For example, anyone with experience driving the huge interstates in the US will immediately see the difference in vehicle sizes compared to those here in the UK.
It is not uncommon to see a huge caravan vehicle towing a small car behind it. In the UK, this size of vehicle would be the equivalent of a freight trailer, where a heavy goods license would be required to drive it. This size difference means having training to assist vehicles of this size and also having the mechanical strength to retrieve vehicles of this size in flatbed truck form and possible heavy crane lifting equipment.
The difference in landscape and the distance between some cities can also be a big challenge. It’s fair to say that there are unlikely to be that many motorhomes touring central New York, but as you move to other states with a long distance between open and long highways, the more likely you are to see the larger roads. vehicles. Recreational vehicles or recreational vehicles have been very popular until recently. Compared to the four-by-four vehicles we have here in the UK, many are much larger and would have a hard time being towed by the transit van that a typical breakdown coverage company can ship here in the UK.
In the UK we talk about a take back service that would return your vehicle anywhere on the continent, but in the US these distances could be huge so premiums like this are not as cheap as in the UK, if you can get them. Even with many domestic flights, many Americans take long road trips, so the need to retrieve a vehicle from one side of the country to the other is not unheard of.
Very often, breakdown coverage clubs often only operate state-to-state, using garages within that specific area, which would cover the majority of daily commutes and annual mileage. Sometimes the term used is Car Warranty, which covers not only the emergency breakdown of a vehicle, but also the parts of the vehicle. These functions tend to be separate in the UK, with breakdown coverage companies handling the recovery of the vehicle and registered car dealers handling the mechanical replacement of large parts.
It should also be said that cars in certain US states are expected to cover higher miles than in the UK. With the exception of country life, most UK residents have access to public transport for shopping, taking children to school, etc. The modern city or residential area in the United States tends to need a car as a necessity rather than a luxury of convenience.
