<p>Son started out this morning for his 8 hour drive home for the Columbus Day weekend. He just called and his car died on the parkway. He’s still a good 2-3 hrs. away. He called AAA and they said that they won’t pick him up on the parkway but will pick him up once he gets the car off the parkway. STUPID!!! Some nice person stopped and called a tow truck for him. So, now he’s on the parkway waiting for a tow truck to tow the car off the parkway. AAA told him that once the car is off the parkway, that he should call them back and then they will come and help. </p>
<p>Does this sound like the way they always work? I’ve never had to use AAA. </p>
<p>It’s getting dark and I’m a wreck that he’s going to be stuck in some slummy place outside NYC. AAAAARGh!</p>
<p>Usually local towing companies have a contract with the Parkway Authority to have exclusive rights to all tow jobs. They can tow a car off the parkway but then it is up to the driver to find a way to the nearest repair shop. That’s where AAA takes over. Your S is lucky he has it.</p>
<p>wow! good luck to him! I have always been able to get AAA to come to us. I know some of those parkways near NYC, are the bridges too low and lack of shoulders a hazard/restriction for tow trucks to get on there? Maybe the truck which comes will be affiliated with AAA. Definitely call AAA when this is over and you have calmed down to find out the reasoning and any written policy about this.</p>
<p>There was one incident we had that I don’t remember the details. My dad drove me to the airport and his car had a problem in the dropoff area. I had a cell phone he did not I called AAA. The airport police told us to move, well the car couldn’t move. They were going to come move it themselves because it was a threat or something. I think AAA said they were not allowed on airport property. I don’t remember the outcome, sorry. This was Logan Airport so who knows what kind of regulations MASSPORT had…</p>
<p>silvervestermom that sounds like what I remember with our airport story, AAA was not allowed to come because of some other contract. Might be a reason to stick to the interstates next time. Good luck to your son nysmile!!</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about your S. I had a tire blow out on one of Atlanta’s VERY busy interstates last month and AAA was there in 17 minutes (yes I timed it) and was back on the road in 10 minutes with the spare. I would call AAA now and ask them about your S incident. That doesn’t make me as a single woman feel safe.</p>
<p>Thanks. He just called and he said the tow truck will be there in about 45 minutes. They will tow him off the parkway (reminder to all parents–make sure your kid has a credit card for emergencies like this). Once he’s off the parkway, he’ll call AAA back and they will come to help. I wonder if he’ll even get home tonight. My husband and I are on standby in case we have to drive up to get him. He’s a solid 2 to 2 1/2 hours away.</p>
<p>He’s now towed off the parkway. He called AAA back and they’re going to call him back on his cell phone. He’s somewhere off the parkway waiting for AAA to call him. The tow off the parkway cost him $80.</p>
<p>On the back of a TX Driver’s License in small print (bottom left corner above the barcode) is an 1-800 number for roadside assistance. I have never used it, but I understand that if you need assistance you get it. </p>
<p>We’ve been towed a couple of times here in California by AAA…quickly and without a second tow to pay for! How frustrating for your son to be in an area with restrictions like that!
The good news is it seems like your son handled it pretty well!</p>
<p>AAA called him back and gave him a 60-90 minute window for them to get to him. So, now he’s sitting somewhere off an exit waiting for AAA to show up. I wonder if he’ll even be able to get home? I suppose the worst case scenario will be that AAA helps him find a hotel for the night. If they do get the car running, I’m hoping he can finish the drive home without falling asleep. He left his college at 11:30 this morning.</p>
<p>Around here the AAA would have just rescued the car on the freeway. I think you need to write to your congressperson to get these ‘exclusive’ parkway towing rules repealed (if that’s what it is). It’ll be interesting if the same tow truck driver returns but this time as a AAA call.</p>
<p>When AAA does rescue they’ll do simple things like put in a bit of gas if he ran out or jump start a battery. Otherwise, they tow it to a service location and then your S deals with the service people.</p>
<p>This happened to me once – BEFORE we had cell phones!! I sat on the Parkway with a flat tire waiting, a cop finally came and he called the “contracted” towing company who towed me off the Parkway to a service station, who then took over and changed the flat. My family was worried sick about me! I was there a good 2 hours.</p>
<p>Thankfully, your son has a cell phone and you’re not frantically worrying where he is!!</p>
<p>OK–It’s been 2 hours since he first got stuck on the parkway. This is ridiculous. He talked to AAA an hour ago and they told him it would be a 45 min. wait at the most. He just called them back and they said it would be another 15 minutes. So, is it normal to have to wait an hour and a half for AAA to come and help?</p>
<p>Our local AAA typically takes 1-1/2 hours - but I don’t want to put them all down; we’ve lived in places where they were very efficient. I hope they get to your son soon!</p>
<p>nysmile,
I’m sorry I wasn’t home to read this earlier. He must be somewhere near my neck of the woods. And I’ll hazard a guess who the AAA tow service is and if I am correct, they are terrible and take an incredibly long time. I have filed complaints with the AAA against them.
You can PM me with details if you’d like. Perhaps there is a way I can help if he is anywhere near me.
edit: cross posted with nysmile-definitely file a complaint with the AAA. Frankly, I also don’t understand why the original tow truck wasn’t authorized to take him to their service station for repair. Then they get reimbursed by AAA.</p>
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