During my commute, I drive over a two-lane bridge (one lane in each direction) that connects two roads each that accommodate two lanes of traffic in both directions. Suffice it to say, the bridge is quite the bottleneck and I don’t think I’ve ever crossed it during rush hour without coming to a stop and waiting. Yesterday was no exception and as I sat there, my car gave a shudder that is fairly typical for its advanced age, and then the engine stopped. Panicked, I popped on my hazard lights, threw it into Park, and turned the key to the off position. I paid no attention to the honking SUV behind me and attempted to start up the car again. It wheezed and turned over, but the engine didn’t run. Trying to breathe, I turned the car off again and sat there for a few seconds. Thankfully, the car started up on the second try and I made it to the parking garage with no other issues.
Throughout the day, the thought that I might not get home nagged me and I regretted not having AAA at my disposal in case I needed my car towed somewhere, but I resolved to let things lie until I had to actually drive home. When I realized that my cell phone was dead, crossing that bridge when I got to it (as it were) was no longer an option. If I were to break down, I would have no way of calling JG. I wouldn’t be able to tell him where I was or what was wrong with the car. If no one stopped to help me, I would have no way of getting in contact with him.
From my office, I called a handy friend of ours to get his opinion on my predicament and he peppered me with questions:
“Did you see any warning lights before the car stopped?” No.
“Were any on after that?” No.
“How far is your commute?” Twelve miles.
“How long will it take you if there’s no traffic?” Half an hour.
“What time will you get home, at the latest?” By 6, if I hit traffic.
“What will you do if your car doesn’t start in the garage?” Come back to my office.
“Here’s the plan,” he said. “At 6, I’ll call your phone because I’ll assume that you’ll plug it in once you get in. If I don’t get your phone, I will call your work phone to make sure that’s where you are. If I don’t get you at your work phone, I’ll call JG and we’ll figure how to find you and pick you up. Regardless, I’ll take a look at your car this week. Okay?”
Okay. Break!
Much to my relief, I didn’t end up needing the emergency plan. I arrived at home in one piece and called my friend back to report the good news. He stopped by later that night to check things out and confirmed his suspicion that my car needed a tune-up really badly, despite the fact that I just got it inspected during my week off. So annoying.
JG and I both use hand-me-down cars from our parents and I know that we’re going to drive them into the ground; the problem is — when one of them dies, it won’t be while it’s sitting in our driveway. One or both of us will be on our way somewhere and the car will give out. JG assured me that we would look into getting a AAA membership, so that helped to mitigate my fear somewhat. I made it back to the office without incident today, but this week is going to be about taking it one commute at a time. I do not enjoy it.
5 comments
That’s so scary! I hate car troubles!
Ted drove a van we inherited from my parents. We planned to drive it into the ground, but we got in check out regularly. Two days after it’s most recent check up, Ted stopped at a stop light…and the transmission exploded. That was not a fun day!
Just reading that made my stomach turn. So not fun.
In high school I drove a car that was older than me, so I know the feeling of driving a car that dies on you. And I was a teenager with no cellphone. Ack! it was AWFUL.
I think getting AAA is a great idea — it’s not too expensive I think?
No, I don’t think it is. We used to get it as a gift, but our last membership expired and we never renewed, much to my chagrin.
Oh, how I love being a car-less New Yorker!
Definitely look into AAA–I don’t think it’s all that expensive and it could really give you peace of mind.
I would LOVE to be able to take public transportation (or my own two feet) to work. I wish I could read during my commute…
I happily pay for AAA every year, although I have never actually utilized their services. I have called them twice to come help me with flat tires, but the estimated wait time for them to get to me was so long both times (about 40 minutes) that I just dealt with it myself (meaning I called Joel to come and help me, he has a much quicker response time than AAA). But the peace of mind that I get every time my car hiccups or stalls or revs its engine on the highway for no apparent reason is well worth the $60 a year (I think that’s how much it costs). The thought of being stranded somewhere is enough to keep me up at night, and AAA membership costs a whole lot less than replacing my 10-year-old car!
Oooh, plus you get discounts everywhere with a AAA membership, so it almost pays for itself.
(I swear, I don’t work for AAA. I just like anything that helps me worry less.)
Sixty bucks! Is that it? Man, I need to get me a membership pronto.
We had AAA for years, but decided that we didn’t used it enough (and forgot about the discounts) to justify the cost, so added towing to our car insurance (for like a $1.50 per year), and that’s our backup plan, along with a set of jumper cables and a can of fix-a-flat in the trunk, and a car charger for the cell phone.
Of course, we splurged in 2005 and bought two new vehicles (I was going to get one, and then my husband decided he wanted a new one before the body style changed…sigh), so we have fewer issues than with an older car.
Hi! I have tossed around the idea of getting a car charger, especially since JG and I have the same phone and I’m sure it would come in handy. We almost have the money saved for replacement cars, but we’ve gone so long without a car payment that we want to make that last as long as we can, even with the accompanying nervousness.
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