We all have bad weeks, a tire could blow out, you could lock your keys in the car or your car battery could die. If you have added an emergency roadside assistance extension to your car insurance policy, you probably feel like your problems are over. But they may have only just begun.

Adding emergency roadside assistance onto your car insurance policy can seem like an inexpensive way to protect yourself against an unexpected breakdown or other embarrassing problem. Many insurers, including Allstate, State Farm, Geico and Progressive, offer policy holders an add-on to their car insurance policy for a fraction of the cost of independent auto club services. Basic assistance added onto a policy can be as cheap as $6 to $20 for an annual policy, compared to $45 to $100 for an annual membership of an independent service.

But, did you know that car insurance companies keep track of your roadside assistance claims, in some cases you may find your premium will increase if you make one too many calls for help. Insurers take a whole range of factors into account when giving you a quote for car insurance and how many and what kind of roadside assistance claims you’ve made is one of them.

Many car insurance companies consider roadside assistance claims to be one of the predictors of risk. Most insurers state that a policy holder’s premium should not be affected unless there are multiple claims together with a number of other risky factors. The chance that one or two claims would have an impact on a customers premium is probably very low.

In some cases, any claims made under the add-on roadside assistance coverage are reported as a towing and labor claim. These claims are reported to a national database run by ChoicePoint, a company that provides insurers with your claims information to help them process applications. Car insurance companies use this information to double check your application for insurance to make sure you have been honest about your accident and towing claims history.

ChoicePoint does not include claims data from vehicle services such as AAA or Allstate Motor Club and has advised insurers not to submit any claims made under auto club type services. However many insurers, do report all usage of their roadside services as towing claims, including jumpstarts, tire changes and gas delivery.

Insurers won’t reject your applications for insurance due to towing and labor claims, however these claims, especially if there are a number of them, may impact on your premium.

Some insurers don’t use roadside assistance as a pricing variable, so it is worth shopping around and asking.

Motor clubs, such as AAA and Allstate Motor Club, may be a little pricier, but could be less of a headache in the long run as any claims you make will be kept private. These clubs also provide a wider range of services than just basic towing and breakdown assistance, including discounts on hotels and other travel related services.