Auto Assistance (Insurance) Group that Supports Bicyclists

Ever heard of Better World Club? Mean either, until about two months ago. I was paging through an issue of Utne Reader, a magazine I used to subscribe to, but now get from my local library. (Thank you, Picken's County Library System!) I love the magazine for it's collaborative approach, alternative viewpoints and more progressive materials and advertised products.

Anyhow, I was thumbing through it, and I came across an ad for Better World Club (BWC). I remember reading that it was an alternative to AAA, and that they were bike-friendly. This sparked my interest.

So, about a month later, I got around to looking up BWC online. My parents have been AAA member for as long as I can remember. My husband and I have been members, and I value their road-side assistance program and some of the travel services. I love the big, comprehensive, free maps that AAA provide. It's nice to have some in the car, and that you don't have to be completely dependent on a working connection to the internet or a GPS device.

I was really curious about this other car insurance/road side assistance copy. Looking around their website, there were several really cool things that I discovered:

1. They offer bicycle road-side assistance. They have a service that offers to pick you up and drop you off in case of an emergency. Many commuters, or commuter-want-to-be's, talk about wanting to ride to work, but fear what will happen to them if their bike breaks down and they really need to get somewhere. BWC's program offer's a possible solution.
2. They offer discounts and benefits. The benefits and discounts aren't quite up to the stock that AAA has, but it's growing. BWC offers rental car, hotel, bike and other discounts. Check out their website for details. (The discounts for autos and bicyclists are found in a few different locations on their site.)
3. They advocate for bicycle rights. According to their website, AAA does not! WOAH. To me, that is huge. If I'm advocating for bicycle rights, why do I belong to an organization and pay a membership that is in direct conflict to what I support? I've done a fair amount of research on this topic, and feel pretty confident that BWC is correct in this verdict.
   

So, what does this mean? My husband and I have not yet switched, but we are strongly considering it. I would strongly encourage you to consider this, too. Additionally, they are also advocates for environmentally-friendly travel, not just the oil-friendly kind. I also requested a car insurance quote from them, just to get an idea what we might be working with. The quote I got from them was very reasonable.

If you're looking for an auto or bike road-side assistance program that will offer you special discounts on insurance, hotels, rental cars, bike accessories, travel and other things, including advocating for bicycle rights, I ask you to consider checking out BWC.

Full Disclosure:  I don't know anyone or will get anything for blogging about Better World Club. After finding out more about them, I thought others might like to know more, too.