One of the top fears among drivers has been breaking down in the middle of nowhere with no way to call for help. The advent of mobile phones certainly helped in that regard, meaning that we could at least call for assistance either to someone we know or to a roadside assistance service. That service has improved over the years as phone technology and signal coverage has been boosted and now pretty much wherever you are you can call for help.

There is, however, one small problem that lingers. The trouble with breaking down in the middle of nowhere, and even if you’re actually on or near a busy road whose name you know, is being able to tell the roadside assistance provider your exact location.

For instance, you know you’re on your way to the Lake District but break down on the A65 between Skipton and Kirkby Lonsdale. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, what would you tell the assistance provider? “I’m somewhere on the A65…” It may be some time before they finally reached you. Even worse, what if you don’t have a roadside assistance provider at all?

This is where Pedal can help. Among the system’s 20 unique features you’ll find a very handy one, “Roadside Assistance.” With a quick look at your Pedal dashboard, you’ll be able to have local assistance providers to your location very quickly. Let’s learn more about how this feature works:

Pedal Roadside Assistance Feature

How Does the Feature Work?

Within your dashboard there is one pod called “Vehicle location.” This is where you’ll find all the critical information you need for the Roadside Assistance feature to work. You’ll see several useful things there:

• A map with the vehicle location pinpointed
• A list of nearby roadside assistance providers along with their contact information and user ratings out of 5 stars
• Links to share your vehicle location

Using this information, you can find a suitable local provider, contact them and then share your location details with them via SMS, email or WhatsApp. Alternatively, if you get a call from a family member who is broken down, especially someone more vulnerable like a teen driver or elderly relative, you can quickly access their vehicle location via the Pedal dashboard and help summon roadside assistance service to their location quickly while they wait.

Why is “Roadside Assistance” Such a Useful Feature?

Roadside Assistance works on multiple levels as one of the great features of Pedal®. First of all, if you yourself are on the road, then the imminent Pedal app will allow you to access all this information on your smartphone and make the calls to service providers nearby. Once again, Pedal helps by putting everything you need into one nice neat pod.

Perhaps the most reassuring level, however, is the way in which it can help families to gain peace of mind as they know they can always know the location of their family members who are broken down on the road. Young, new and elderly drivers can sometimes get flustered when they have broken down. They may panic and not know what to do next.

If your family’s cars have the Pedal OBD-II sensor in place and a registered online account, then all those family members ever need do is to contact you. From wherever you are, you will be able to access the information they need on the Pedal® dashboard and share it with roadside assistance services in the area.

Another great feature is the inclusion of customer ratings on local services. In this way, you can also help to ensure that the people who are sent to recover your vehicle and family members are reputable and competent.

In the end, what Pedal and the Roadside Assistance feature are doing is helping to remove that immediate dread that can come over you when either you or someone you care about has had a car breakdown. The first things you will think will likely be where they are and if they are alright. If it’s you that has broken down, you’ll wonder how to get the word out of exactly where you are.

In either circumstance, the location part you can determine easily using the vehicle location pod on the dashboard. With just a quick phone call and the push of a “share” button, you can have help on the way while you catch your breath and try to relax a moment.

Location, Location, Location

In the past, even after mobile phones started to enter service, the main problem with getting roadside assistance services was knowing exactly where you were. If you were lucky enough to break down right near one of those emergency roadside telephones, then you would be able to use the information printed on that phone booth to help bring assistance to you. But what about other times?

Without knowing your location, you would have to find nearby homes or services to try and determine the location before any help could be summoned. This may involve leaving your vehicle at the roadside and walking off quite far to find help. What if a police car discovered the car while you were away? And round and round the fears in your mind would go.

The real miracle behind the Pedal® Roadside Assistance feature is the global positioning system (GPS) network. This is the precursor technology to all location services that make this feature possible. Applied within Pedal, concerned parties can instantly get a current location and start the process of assistance.

Why Not Just Use the Location Services Within a Smartphone?

While it is true that smartphones now contain the ability to be tracked and share locations with others, there is an added layer of safety when you get this service through Pedal. First of all, even when the car breaks down, the Pedal sensor is plugged into the OBD-II port feeding data to the main online account. Smartphones, on the other hand, are subject to the life of their own batteries.

Regardless of the battery health of one’s phone, or availability of data services with which to send location information, Pedal will be able to feed the location to the online account. All the driver need do is place a phone call to whomever they need.

In addition, users also may appreciate that location services via Pedal track the car as opposed to the drive’s smartphone. There is often tension in families when the question of snooping comes up. When you use Pedal, there’s no need to track your family member’s phones and face accusations of spying/snooping. The car is neutral ground for which everyone can agree that tracking is quite beneficial.

Pedal - Always There to Assist

Installing Pedal is as easy as plugging in the sensor to your car’s OBD-II socket and signing up for an online account. Once completed, you can start accessing your car’s information and data immediately.

Location services that help with roadside assistance are but the tip of the iceberg. There are 19 more fantastic features to enjoy with Pedal, all of which are designed to enlighten you of the driving realities you live, as well as to help keep your car well-maintained and in possession of its optimum resale value.

Get your Pedal® sensor today and start truly understanding how you and your family are driving.