You have exchanged some of your child’s Haribos for a value ferry ticket. You are smug with the find. You are taking your car to France and you return in 2 weeks. But there is a nagging feeling….. European breakdown cover for my car !?
A two week single trip European breakdown cover policy is going to cost you more than those wonderful ferry tickets and your mind is working over time in order to forge a viable argument against buying a policy. The following thoughts come to mind:
(i) The 2 week policy is nearly as expensive as my UK breakdown cover.
(ii) I have a new(ish) car.
(iii) I have never broken down before – Chances are I won’t within the 2 week window?! Right?!
(iv) I will buy one whilst abroad if I need to. Whilst this works out as more expensive if I breakdown – people do this with UK breakdown policies.
(v) I can’t take the prices of the AA & RAC seriously. This is a bad joke right?
Ad infinitum……………
But there is still a nagging feeling.
The nagging feeling is the product of poor inductions. It is a similar curse to that which afflicts gamblers who rely upon the premise that nature has a memory- “the roulette wheel must return a black 9 soon… it is “due””.
Of course, the anti-European-breakdown-cover-er isn’t of the same breed as the fallacious gambler. But he is a cross breed. A cousin. They can mate and have offspring. They are not different species. It has been suggested that their thought processes have a shared ancestor in the offspring of the union between a bulldog and a Shih tzu.
Why the nagging? The nagging arises from the possibility of breaking down whilst abroad and what might ensue in such an event. It is in this possibility that we find a defeater for (i) to (iv).
The reason for the expense (i) – is because there could potentially be huge associated costs to breaking down whilst abroad, not the least is the thought of missing your ferry and/or needing your car to be repatriated.
(ii) Newish cars, on paper, may be less likely to break down. But there are innumerable ways in which your new car may prevent you from getting to the port on time… flat tyre? What about (iii) This seems plausible. However, consider the following scenario. There is a certain road close to your home, it isn’t a busy road, and chances are, you can put ear muffs and a blindfold on, and cross this road without being hit. And due to the quietness of the road, the chances of crossing successfully are better than those of breaking down abroad. Would you risk it?
Of course the “crossing-a-quiet-road-blindfolded-with-ear-muffs analogy” isn’t perfect. There are no obviously associated benefits. But what about the “crossing-a-quiet-road-blindfolded-with-ear-muffs-for-£40 analogy”? Want to risk it?
Any hope for (iv)? Nope. It is usually stipulated that European breakdown policies begin and finish in the UK.
What about (v)? Shop around! The AA and the RAC are not the only companies offering European breakdown recovery solutions on the continent!!
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