ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TOWING … WILL IT GET YOU HOME?

Roadside assistance towing … will it get you home? By Daniel Ho

Similar to car insurance, the T&Cs of road side assistance service policies can also be very complicated. Do be mindful of applicable T&Cs, and if in doubt, have your service provider clarify it in writing. For example, below is what RACV Total Care states concerning towing.

Now, you might say that “I know people who have had their broken down vehicle towed hundreds

to thousands of km at no charge by RACV”. This “can” be true in certain scenarios. RACV has

the option, at their discretion, to organize for a vehicle to be towed further under Clause 3.2, which states the following. Note that the wording is “may attempt to”, which in legal terms

means such actions are at the discretion of RACV and they are not legally bound to do so.

I know people who were successfully covered by this clause, and some who were not. It should also be noted that RACV’s T&Cs explicitly excludes their roadside assistance service if any of

the following applies.

Below are some examples of areas where the Club commonly visits that may be defined by RACV as “Restricted Areas”

• The sand dunes in Portland and the beaches near Robe fall under the definition of “beaches”

above • Many roads that we drive on are considered logging / forest service roads and could be excluded despite being gazetted roads. • The Heyfield RV Park is a free public camping area that is within the grounds of a recreational oval. • Many years ago, my 2WD Subaru Liberty slide off the side of a road into a grassy area by the side of the road. RACV refused to cover the cost of towing the vehicle back out because it was more than 2m from the side of the road (it was 3m from the asphalt).

Lastly, it is common for roadside assist services to include a clause that limits their services to areas where “a standard commercial towing vehicle” can access. A friend on a slippery muddy

gravel road (a “C” category road) slid off the road and got his Forester stuck but the back wheel

of the car was still on the road. However, due to the road conditions, the tow truck company sent a 4WD to recovery his vehicle. Because the tow truck company deemed the road to not be suitable for a 2WD standard commercial flat bed tow truck, RACV would not cover the cost.