RAC beware

[Jak*]

I have just returned from a camping weekend in St Agnes were we went to watch the Lands End Trial. Unfortunately one of my friends, who is in his seventies fell over outside the chippy and injured his head on the Friday night. The local people and visitors there were wonderful, a young nurse on holiday gave him first aid at the scene and a local man went home to get his van to take him to hospital, when they were unable to give us an eta for the ambulance ( I was later told it could have been 48 hours). The hospital were fantastic and kept him in two nights.
On his return to the campsite he asked me to phone the RAC on his behalf. I did this and was shocked when they would not accept my explanation of his need for recovery. He had broken his glasses in the fall, sustained a black eye that he could hardly see out of, the stitches in his head and the lump he now had, would have meant that he could not wear his crash helmet. The RAC insisted that I get the hospital to send an email stating that he could not drive, wasting valuable NHS staff time. They would not even accept a photograph of his injuries. Given his age I was disgusted with their attitude. Fortunately I manage to get through quite quickly to the ward he was on and the ward sister was happy to help although surprised by the request.
The incident set me thinking about what would happen if I was to fall off my bike, injure myself to the extent that I was not safe to ride but did not require medical treatment.
Suffice to say I will not be using the RAC and would not recommend them to anyone else either.

[Pint Master]

Often Breakdown recovery wont include help after an accident, I recently had an accident a couple of hundred miles from home and my KTM recovery card was no good to me as they only cover mechanical breakdowns.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

If you have a motoring accident, your motor insurer should take care of recovery of the vehicle...not so sure about transporting yourself .

[minkyhead]

im afaraid you would be wasting your time ..they only cover breakdowns of the vehicle ..i suppose personal accident cover is a different thing ...but i guess you can say if i guy falls off abike its not there fault and even less likly at the chippy ...now if when he returned to his bike the wind had blown the end off a rubber pencil into the fuel line ...i bet they wouldnt find it ......no it wasnt me

[Oop North John]

Pretty sure that my Britannia Rescue covers me for mishaps, as well as breakdowns.

[92kk k100lt 193214]

You do need to check the extent of your cover.

My insurance covers vehicle breakdown, nor 'rider breakdown' so I would not be covered for this type of recovery either. This is in my small print. Also in the small print in very many policies is that this type of cover does not cover getting the bike home it the need is a result of an accident.

I do have health insurance and have a very inexpensive [€52] annual top up policy for world wide travel cover that also covers me in home country on weekend trips etc. This policy will get me medical treatment and get me home and either ship my vehicle home or pay for someone to come and bring it home and applies if a result of an accident or breakdown. The small print in it limits their cover to the value of the vehicle. Fine once you know it.

If nothing else small print is important. So too is the difference between a breakdown policy and a travel policy. You generally need both.

You cannot cover everything, often too you have to pay bills and reclaim the money later. In some ways I have found this to be easier. The bottom line on this is you need a fund in a card to cover possible breakdown.

[P4ulie]

Unfortunately they won't help - I'm obviously not condoning this..... but remove the chain, put it in your bag & say it snapped & flew off somewhere into the bushes covers the need for recovery

[Peirre]

Unfortunately they won't help - I'm obviously not condoning this..... but remove the chain, put it in your bag & say it snapped & flew off somewhere into the bushes covers the need for recovery

They’ll potentially decide to take the bike to the nearest bike mechanic and get you to pay for the fitting of a new chain to enable you to continue your journey under your own abilities.
The correct answer to the OP’s conundrum is that the rider should have had uk travel insurance to cover eventualities beyond the remit of the breakdown cover

[Billy Bananahead]

...now if when he returned to his bike the wind had blown the end off a rubber pencil into the fuel line ...i bet they wouldnt find it ......no it wasnt me

Funny you should say this. Years back i was a recovery technician/driver for SOS Motorcycle Recovery and went out to a bloke with an oldish BMW Boxer type bike in Manchester city centre one cold, wet, Friday afternoon in winter.
We were given 45 minutes to diagnose and fix any problem before giving up and asking the owners where he wanted to go. Could i find the problem? Not at all. Bike had fuel, spark, lights, good everything but no go. Asked the rider where he was going only to be told Ayr and there was no one else who i could relay him with. What a bastard that was.
It wasn't until later when a light came on in my head. If you are reading this, i hope i don't bump into you ever again.