We’ve already established that driving on fumes isn’t the greatest for your car. But sometimes a situation demands it — say, it’s Thanksgiving weekend and you’re in a rush to get home because your mom has made her famous Pumpkin-Pecan Pie with Maple Whipped Cream, and if you don’t arrive on time you know your younger brother will eat the entire thing himself.
But what happens when you break down? Because that’s a very real possibility: according to a survey conducted by Allstate, one in three millennials wait too long to gas up their cars, and 50% have had a roadside incident in the past year. Top culprits: vehicle tows, dead batteries, and flat tires.
But wait, there’s more — 75% of millennials (including, let’s be honest, this author) have never changed a tire on their current vehicle.
The good news is, Allstate isn’t just conducting surveys about stranded twenty-somethings — they’re also offering their help to them. Their new Good Hands Rescue app (free to download) and mobile website are designed to be used even if you don’t have an insurance policy with Allstate. Better still, this Wednesday, November 23, AKA the busiest travel day of the year, roadside rescues of all types (tows, flat tires, jump starts, lockouts, fuel delivery, etc) will only cost you $2. Worth it, for Mom’s pie.
Allstate put some thought into their app, too. Using GPS technology, the app connects the driver in need with the dispatched service provider, meaning that you don’t have to describe the site of your breakdown as, “Uh…somewhere on I-65 I think? There’s like, this hill with a tree that sort of looks like a pouncing tiger, but also a spaceship depending on what angle you’re viewing it from.” Notification with the provider’s ETA also gives you a better idea of when the service provider will arrive and lets you track their progress toward you (and toward PIE).
Obviously, you should do everything you can to prevent a roadside breakdown. Make sure to gas up, check your tire pressure — heck, take your car in for an oil change and tune-up if you’re driving more than an hour or two for turkey time. But if worst comes to worst, you can at least take comfort in the fact that you’re covered, and for about as much cash as the jumbo cup of coffee you bought from the 7-Eleven the last time you filled up.
