Eligibility
■ The person named on the valid AAA membership card is eligible. You will be asked to present your current paid-up membership card to the service provider to obtain service. If your card is not available, AAA New York will attempt to verify your membership and authorize service. However, if your membership cannot be verified, service will be provided to you on a commercial basis. Upon presentation of the original receipt and verification of your membership, the Club will reimburse you based on the service to which members are entitled.

■ Four-wheel motor-driven vehicles of the passenger, pleasure and recreational type (vans, campers, pickup trucks and motor homes), regardless of licenseplate designation, are eligible for all services if they can be safely delivered.

■ Dual-wheel campers/motor homes will be provided with all services except towing, extrication/recovery and tire service.

■ Dual-wheel unloaded pickup trucks are provided with all services except tire service.

■ Rented passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles are eligible for service. Taxis and limousines are not eligible for service.

Members are expected to maintain their vehicles in good mechanical condition. Roadside assistance is designed to help members whose vehicles have become disabled as a result of unavoidable circumstances. Service is limited to making the vehicle operable, if possible, or towing it in accordance with the provisions governing towing (see Explanation of Services, below). Abuse of service may be cause for cancellation of membership.

EXPLANATION OF SERVICES
1. “First Aid”
The AAA Roadside Assistance provider will attempt to make minor mechanical repairs or adjustments in order to return your vehicle to a condition where it can be driven. If the vehicle is started before the service truck arrives, please call and cancel your request so that the driver may be recalled. If your vehicle cannot be made operable upon providing the services listed in this article, the Club will assist you in finding the nearest open repair shop. If a repair facility cannot be located, the Club will assist you in obtaining lodging or alternative transportation, which will be at your expense.

Services that exceed the benefits listed will be charged at the hourly or mileage rate prevailing in the region where service is provided. For your protection, service cannot be provided to an unattended vehicle. In extenuating  circumstances, an exception might be made if prior arrangements have been made with the Club.

If your vehicle cannot be serviced or driven safely, towing service will be provided as outlined herein.

2. Towing Service
If in the judgment of the AAA Roadside Assistance provider the vehicle cannot be started or driven safely, it will be towed, at no charge, back to the responding service facility (regardless of distance) or to any location of your choice at a distance determined by your membership entitlement, unless prohibited by law. In the event the tow distance exceeds your allotted miles, you will be charged the prevailing rate for each additional mile payable to the service provider upon completion of service. Charges for flatbed service requested by members when not required by the AAA Towing Manual will be at the member’s expense. AAA Plus benefits include up to 100 miles of free towing from the point of disablement.

3. Battery Service
A battery jump-start will be provided in an attempt to start the vehicle unless contrary to vehicle manufacturers’ recommendations. If it cannot be started, a tow can be arranged.

4. Flat-Tire Service
A wheel with a flat tire will be replaced with the member’s inflated spare tire, at no charge. Special lug wrenches or keys needed to remove the wheel cover or wheel must be supplied by the member. If the spare is not available or is in need of repair, the service provider will tow the vehicle. Dual-wheel vehicles are not eligible for tire service.

5. Fuel-Delivery Service
A limited supply of fuel, if available, will be provided to enable you to reach the nearest service station; if not available, you will be towed to a facility where fuel is available. Fuel will be provided at current pump prices. AAA Plus benefits include, at no additional cost, delivery of a limited amount of fuel to enable the member to reach the nearest service station. If this service fails to make the vehicle operable, the extended tow benefit will apply.

6. Lockout Service
If your keys are locked inside the vehicle, service will be sent to gain entrance. If the key that operates or provides access to the passenger compartment of the vehicle is lost or broken, or the service provider cannot gain entrance to your vehicle, locksmith service of up to $50 (or reimbursement for commercial locksmith service of up to $50) will be provided. In cases where the vehicle cannot be made operable, towing services will be provided in accordance with the provision governing towing. AAA Plus benefits include up to $100 in parts and labor for locksmith service.

7. Extrication or Winching Services
A vehicle will be extricated when it can be safely reached from a normally traveled road or established thoroughfare. If special equipment, more than one truck, or more than one person is required, the associated cost will be at the member’s expense.

AAA Plus benefits include the delivery of services by a second truck and operator for one hour at the scene of disablement.

SERVICES NOT INCLUDED
AAA’s goal is to provide members with the most efficient and effective roadside assistance possible. That is why we cannot offer service in the following circumstances:

■ Snowbound vehicles. Digging or towing a vehicle out of a snow bank or rendering service to vehicles in unplowed streets or driveways. During severe snowstorms, preferential service must be given to vehicles that have become disabled on major highways or snow emergency routes.

■ Removal of anti-theft devices is not covered.

■ Rotating of tires and installation or removal of snow tires.

■ If a vehicle is off a regularly traveled road or highway, or at a location where service is not practical, possible or safe. If access to a vehicle is blocked, or if the vehicle is submerged, service can be rendered only after the vehicle is accessible.

■ If the vehicle can be safely driven to a garage or place of safety and/or where legal restrictions are imposed, the vehicle does not qualify for roadside assistance or towing.

■ The Club does not tow unregistered or uninsured vehicles, nor does it tow to salvage yards.

■ If there is more than one tow per breakdown, subsequent towing will be provided on a commercial basis at the member’s expense.

Repairs—Service does not include furnishing parts, labor or materials and/or storage, which are at the member’s expense and for which separate arrangements must be made by the member with a service station. The Club cannot guarantee that all stations stock parts or are equipped to service or repair every make of domestic or foreign vehicle, nor can it guarantee the availability of repair service at its contract garages after regular business hours or on weekends. Towing from a service-station premises to any other location for repairs will be at the member’s expense.

AAA Plus—This is available to members beginning with their second year of membership. If one person in the household (the Primary member) purchases AAA Plus, all additional members (Associate members) in the household also must purchase AAA Plus. To be eligible, members must have three or less roadside assistance calls per membership during the past 12 months of membership. AAA Plus service is available 10 days after the Club receives payment.

REIMBURSEMENT FOR SERVICES
Members should call 1-800/AAA-HELP (222-4357) when they require service. If for any reason service cannot be provided, the Club will authorize you to obtain assistance elsewhere. In these situations, the Club will fully reimburse members at the prevailing commercial rate for the region. Reimbursement will be made only upon receipt of an original itemized bill, submitted within 60 days of the member receiving service. The Club takes special measures to be prepared for unfavorable weather; however, it cannot guarantee its normal service response under all circumstances and conditions. Full reimbursement at the prevailing commercial rate for the region might be provided in cases where service-response times are excessive or unreasonable.

On certain roads, roadside assistance is available only from franchised stations. This is a situation beyond the control of the Club. When service is provided by these non-affiliated stations, the Club will reimburse members based on the service they are entitled to receive and in accordance with the rate charged by the franchised parkway agent, provided that the official receipt is submitted. When tow service is provided, members receive a full refund for a tow back to the franchised station providing the service or to the nearest exit. If the member  elects to be towed elsewhere, the member will be reimbursed in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the towing section of this article.

ALLOWABLE SERVICE CALLS
AAA provides up to four service calls per year. A reimbursement for non-AAA service counts as a call. Additional services will be provided at rates normally below commercial prices, at the member’s expense, and are payable to the facility when the service is provided.

LIABILITY
The Club makes every effort to secure reliable, competent service facilities to provide roadside assistance. Those facilities serve as independent contractors, and the Club does not assume liability for their acts or the acts of their service personnel, who are not employees of the Club. Any damages resulting from the acts of service facility personnel—or any defects or deficiencies in the goods or repair service that a member might purchase—are the sole responsibility of the facility and should be reported promptly to the proprietor. The Club will use reasonable efforts to mediate vehicle repair and damage complaints resulting from road services provided by service- facility personnel.

ROADSIDE/REPAIR CHECK ACCEPTANCE
Your personal check for up to $350 ($250 outside the Club’s territory) will be accepted by any independent contract facility providing roadside services or associated repairs for AAA members. The name on the check must match the name on the membership card and your driver’s license. A valid membership card must be presented at the time of payment.