AAA Saves the Day

I'm a member of the American Automobile Association, and so far, I have not had to call on them for my vehicles. But, one of the cool features of AAA membership is that they cover you even if you are a passenger in someone else's vehicle.

Last night, we celebrated my girlfriend Anna's son's 11th birthday with a trip to Dave & Buster's in Providence, R.I. Located in the Providence Place Mall, D & B's combines a restaurant with a game arcade. Anna drove her vehicle, since I had my van and couldn't carry three people. After a fun evening, we were driving back to West Warwick on Interstate 95 when we heard a bang and her Oldsmobile SUV began to wobble. A rear tire blew out, and she pulled off to the side of the highway. (Her Oldsmobile was missing a spare tire.)

Anna avoids driving to the city, as she tends to get lost easily. "I've broken down on the way back from Providence so many times, I hate it." But I called AAA on my cell phone, and in less than 30 minutes, two flatbed trucks had arrived. One truck took her vehicle to a tire shop, and the other truck took the three of us home.

"Imagine how ugly it would have been if you wouldn't have been there," Anna said later. "Me and Ricky would have had to walk home."

I was impressed with AAA's service and the friendliness of the tow truck drivers. For the record, however, they do not tow motorcycles, the driver said.