Even if you know someone who has towing equipment and could pick up your vehicle, it's best to use the services of a professional tow truck driver during a car breakdown. Here are two reasons why.
Your car will be safer if it's transported on a tow truck
The main reason to utilise a tow truck owner's service is that your car will be safer. This is because the driver of the tow truck will have towed many vehicles before and so will be able to swiftly load your car onto their trailer without damaging it, and once the vehicle is on the tow truck's trailer, it will be tightly secured and will remain fixed in place for the journey to your home or the auto-mechanic's garage.
In contrast, if your relative or friend doesn't use their towing equipment very often, there is a chance that they might not secure your vehicle to their tow bar correctly, in which case your car could potentially come loose in the middle of the journey and crash into a motorist or a street feature.
Furthermore, even if they secure it into place, towing a vehicle with a tow chain is a lot riskier than transporting it via a tow truck's trailer, as when a tow chain is used, the vehicle being towed can sway or even tip onto its side if the driver of the vehicle that's towing it drives too recklessly. If your car is already in need of repair and sustains further damage due to your friend's inept towing skills, you might have to write it off or have to deal with it being in the auto-mechanic's garage for several extra days.
The tow truck driver will have specialist insurance
The other reason to use a tow truck service in this situation is that the driver of this vehicle will have specialist insurance that will cover the expenses that might arise if your car were to be damaged whilst the truck driver was towing it. As mentioned, the likelihood of your car sustaining damage whilst it's on the tow truck trailer is slim to none; however if, for example, a pile-up occurred on the road the tow truck driver was travelling on and the tow truck and your car were damaged, the truck driver's specialist insurance would mean you wouldn't have to pay out of pocket.
In contrast, if you let a friend tow your car and they're involved in an accident, any damage this incident causes to your car might not be covered by their insurance, in which case you could have to pay not only for the repairs that led to the breakdown but also additional repairs on top of this.
