You’re driving across Austin, heading to work or on your way to your family vacation, when suddenly your vehicle stalls. It could be a flat tire, an engine out of fuel or even a dead battery that caused your car to stop running. Regardless of the reason, you want to get back on the road as quickly as possible and have access to reliable austin roadside assistance.
Most auto insurance policies include roadside assistance coverage for certain types of breakdowns. It’s important to ask your agent or company what your policy covers before you are stranded on the side of the road. Most insurance companies will cover changing a flat tire, delivering gasoline or other fluids and jump starting your vehicle, but there may be limits on the amount of labor or dollar amounts that are covered. You also may be able to buy additional coverage to cover more types of breakdowns or a broader range of roadside services.
Some auto clubs, credit cards and memberships offer roadside assistance programs that are separate from your auto insurance. If you have a membership or credit card, make sure you know the terms and conditions of the program before you are in need of it.
The Greater Austin area has a free roadside assistance program called the Highway Emergency Response Operator (HERO) Program. The program is run by TxDOT and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. HERO trucks are equipped to change flat tires, provide small amounts of gas for vehicles running out of gas and move disabled vehicles off roadways as quickly as possible. The program is designed to reduce secondary crashes that occur when motorists see or pass stalled or stopped vehicles on the sides of high-speed roadways.
Getting roadside help with HERO is easy. Download the HONK app to your smartphone and input basic information about the type of service you need. Your request will be sent to our network of more than 55,000 service providers, including many in the greater Austin area. You’ll receive a phone call within minutes to confirm the details of your request and to let you know an estimated arrival time. You can also use HONK on your phone to request help while you are traveling in a rental car or as a passenger in someone else’s vehicle.
It’s hard to predict when your car will break down or you’ll run out of gas, but it’s better to be prepared than be caught off guard. Keep HONK on hand for whenever you need help on the road and drive safe!