Caught in car breakdown confusion
WHEN her car broke down just after passing through traffic lights, a lone woman driver found she had left her mobile phone at home. But then things took a turn for the worse.
Two women pedestrians stopped to see if they could help Dorothy Lowe, who has vehicle breakdown cover with the RAC, and called the service for assistance.
“They gave directions to where my car was – which was facing uphill, approaching a mini roundabout,” Dorothy told Crusader.
“But the help centre told them they could not send anyone until the car had been moved by the police to a less hazardous place.
“I was astonished – it was on an ordinary road, not on a motorway. I didn’t think the police could push it uphill either, without help.”
Not feeling in a position to debate the matter further with the RAC, Dorothy was left wondering how she might be rescued when two young men also stopped and offered their help.
“They moved my car to the verge, then one got in the passenger seat and asked me to try the engine,” she added.
“He said, correctly, that the clutch was the trouble. With him guiding me I managed to start the car again and drove to a local garage – where it has since been fixed .”
Although very grateful for the kindness of strangers, Dorothy, who is 12 years an RAC member, remained puzzled as to why her predicament had not qualified for the service’s assistance.
Her unhappy family contacted the motoring organisation back in December asking for an explanation and it promised a response within 20 working days. However, a couple of weeks ago they asked Crusader to help them get answers and clarify the matter for others.
While dangerous situations threatening safety require the police and/or emergency services, breakdown cover normally does what motorists rightly expect.
The RAC attends more than two million breakdowns a year but in Dorothy’s case there was a mistake, it immediately explained when we asked about the no-show.
“On investigation we found we should have come to her rescue,” it said. “Unfortunately our operator wrongly thought she was in a location requiring the police’s help. The safety of our roadside workers and customers is paramount.”
Dorothy has accepted a goodwill gesture slashing her membership fee this year.
‘She was left wondering how she might be rescued’
REMEMBER always keep your mobile handy. If you’re in a dangerous location such as the live motorway lane, a fastmoving A-road with no hard shoulder or the middle lane of a busy, multi-lane junction, breakdown patrols have to determine whether it is safe for them. The advice for motorways where the hard shoulder is used as an extra lane is to get off as soon as you can do so safely.