Nobody thinks about roadside emergency assistance until they actually need it. Similar to car insurance, having it and not needing it, is better than needing it and not having it. In South Africa, roadside emergencies happen by the minute, and some are more serious than others.
Are you prepared for dealing with a breakdown or a medical emergency if you’re stranded on the side of the road? If not, keep reading as Cartrack highlights the real-world situations each motorist will likely face in their lifetime, and what you can do to make sure your safety is secured with roadside assistance.
In a nutshell, Cartrack Protector provides comprehensive roadside emergency services that include medical, mechanical and towing assistance to Cartrack app users who subscribe to the Protector add-on service. It covers a whole range of emergency situations that are common on SA’s roads, and has been a lifeline to thousands of motorists when they needed it most.
We interviewed the manager at our control room, Memo Winkworth, and she helped us with some of your most pertinent questions regarding Cartrack Protector.
The most common queries we get pertain to broken down vehicles during road travel. Remember that these services are only available to active subscriptions that form part of our regular tracking service. For a small extra fee, Cartrack will help you in the following situations.
If you’re stranded with a dead battery, our control room will assist you with getting it sorted out as quickly as possible. As Memo helpfully points out, “We obviously have to do a risk assessment with regards to where the vehicle is…” which speaks to the area you’re in.
If it’s possible to send someone out for roadside assistance, we’ll do so for the responder to assess the situation. If you need a boost, they’ll get your car going again. If it’s something more serious, they may need to tow your car to the nearest battery centre so you can get your battery replaced.
In cases where your tyre is flat and you don’t have a temporary replacement, Cartrack’s control room will send out someone to tow your car to the nearest place where you can get a new tyre. If it’s a simple fix, our responders will come out to you and get your car mobile again so that you can deal with the issue appropriately.
QUICK TIP: Always do regular inspections of your vehicle to prevent this from happening in the first place.
Cartrack Protector covers towing for the first 40kms. So if your car has mechanical issues, it’s up to you where you want the responder to tow you.
As Memo pointed out, “...we’ll take the vehicle to the nearest service station where the client is telling us to. The client won’t pay for the first 40 kilometers… outside of the 40 kilometers the client is liable for the cost.”
Memo reassured us that if you lock your keys in your car while under the Cartrack Protector service, “We’ll call a locksmith out.”
Since you might be in an unfamiliar area, this helps you greatly because we’ll contact a nearby locksmith that can get to you as soon as possible. You’ll save a bunch of time and be on your way sooner than if you never had roadside assistance to begin with.
Our responders will happily help you with some emergency fuel if you find yourself stranded with an empty tank. This gives you the mobility to visit the nearest petrol station where you can fill up and continue with your day.
Any medical emergency that happens while you’re in your car and out on the road is worth calling us for. Memo was happy to inform us that fortunately this doesn’t happen very often. But again, it’s better to have the service and not need it than vice versa.
It’s worth having Protector if you have a pre-existing medical condition that might impair your driving or put you & your passengers in danger. Many people experience panic and anxiety attacks while they drive, and others have allergies or health conditions that could interrupt their driving abilities. Having our responders on call can literally save lives.
If you’ve had a car accident and need emergency assistance, the staff at Cartrack are able to send emergency medical responders to your location. While we can’t provide you with any medical advice over the phone, we’ll certainly put you in contact with someone who is qualified to do so.
QUICK TIP: For extra safety, add a crash alert to your Cartrack app so that loved ones will be made aware that you’ve had a road accident.
A hi-jacking is a complicated situation. It can be dangerous if the assailants are still around while you’re getting in touch with us, which is why we’ll assess the situation with specific questions when you call.
If the hi-jacking has already taken place, our telephonic respondents will talk you through what to do next, and also get Cartrack’s recovery team dispatched to recover your car.
Memo made it clear that if someone you know takes your car without permission, Cartrack will not be able to get involved. That’s because this falls under a legally civil category, meaning we won’t be able to get involved. In a situation like this, you’ll need to open a case at your nearest police station.
QUICK TIP: Add CarWatch to your Cartrack app and get notified if your car moves without your permission.
The Protector team is there to speed up the stolen vehicle recovery process. We’re in constant contact with recovery teams and will feed information to them about the car’s description. So while you’re waiting for your car to be recovered, we’ll be talking with you over the phone getting more details that may help speed up the process.
We need to make a distinction between Cartrack Protector and Karooooo Protector. The latter had a range of services that are no longer viable based on the qualifications and legal obligations of our company. Therefore, Cartrack Protector no longer offers the following:
However, we will still offer these four essential services as part of the Protector subscription:
Before you can use Protector, you must be subscribed to our tracking service. You can have GPS tracking and recovery from Cartrack and NOT have Protector, but you can’t have Protector unless you’re a Cartrack customer.
➡️ To use the Protector add-on, tap on your Cartrack app or download it here.
➡️ Once you open the Cartrack app, it will ask you to log in.
➡️ After logging in, the app will take you directly to the map section and show your location.
➡️ From here, scroll down to the icons at the bottom and navigate right to “Protector”.
➡️ Once tapped, you’ll need to select the number plate of the vehicle you’re currently driving and subscribed under.
➡️ You’ll then have the choice of “Medical” or “Accident” assistance.
➡️ Once you tap on either of the icons, an immediate alert will be sent to our control room and they’ll contact you within seconds.
Note: We randomly tested the Cartrack control room response time during peak hour JHB traffic; they called us within 12 seconds of the request!
The point of Cartrack Protector is to get the help you need as quickly as possible when you find yourself in a roadside emergency. Make sure you know how to navigate it by using the navigation tips above. And if you do need to use it in a real-world situation, provide accurate information to the consultant.
It also helps to keep a list on your phone of emergency contact numbers. These could include your insurance, the police, emergency towing services, an ambulance hotline, and a family member or friend. In an emergency situation, you don’t want to have to search for numbers you need. Keep them all in one place so that you can get help even if you’re flustered.
To activate Cartrack Protector roadside assistance, contact our consumer hotline and speak to a consultant about installing a car-tracking device to your vehicle.
Why is this important? Because we can’t assist you unless we know exactly where you are. Once you have our tracking service for your vehicle, you can activate the Cartrack Protector service by asking the consultant to add it to your package.
Once it’s added to your customer package, it’ll be activated on the app too. Keep the consultant on the line if you want help registering your vehicle’s number plate to be recognised on the app.
If you want Protector for your fleet, call our business hotline and we’ll talk you through the package options for multiple vehicles. For a fleet, Protector can be managed for all your vehicles while still being managed from one platform on your PC or phone.
Cartrack is a tracking company that not only offers vehicle recovery, but also puts your safety first!
Learn how to download, manage and use the Cartrack Protector roadside assistance app, and get road-related assistance when you need it most.
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