After reading Mad Mallard's "Be Prepared" post it reminded me of something I heard Clark Howard talk about on air a few years ago. In summary he stated that the roadside assistance offered by some auto insurance companies ( towing, changing a tire, battery, jumping a car) are bad news. Apparently some insurance companies were flagging usage of the optional roadside assistance service as a general claim against the policy and in turn increasing insurance rates of their customers. Link: http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/category/9/27/ Relevant Blurb from link: Jun 13, 2006 -- Drop towing riders from your insurance Clark talked recently about how getting tow service from your insurance company can boost your rates if you use the service. The report got people up in arms and he has some follow up news for you. The story first came out in Consumer Reports, a magazine Clark highly respects. It said that AllState, State Farm and Geico all either raise your rates or report you to other deciding bodies. Clark wanted to contact the biggest insurer - State Farm – to see what they had to say. And, it is true. If you’re a State Farm, All State, Geico or Nationwide customer, discontinue the towing rider from your coverage. If you need the towing coverage, get it from Costco or BJ’s instead. Read State Farm's response 1 comment | Permalink