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By Greg Bartlett

My wife and I used to discuss the cost of our GPS tracking subscription that came with our used van. Things have been tight for a few years now, and to be honest we really couldn’t afford it. I put my foot down, as the van was for my wife, and said that we’d find a way to pay for the extra expense. That was the greatest decision I have ever made.

The first six months that we owned the van, I never even touched the glowing blue button in the dashboard. During those six months, my wife would wonder if we we’re throwing money away with the GPS tracking expense. I would try to correct her, that it was all about the safety. In truth, part of me hoped that I was wasting money, but I didn’t tell her that.

During the holidays, I decided to take our fifteen month old son to visit relatives in the van. The weather report called for a clear, dry day and I thought it would be ideal to show off my little man. I don’t much like driving on highways, so, because of this, I chose to take the back roads. About half way into the trip, storm clouds started to quickly roll in; all of a sudden I was in the middle of a winter thunderstorm; I have only seen one like this one other time in my life.

Hail stones the size of quarters began to slap into the car and before I could pull over a deer was startled into the road. I slammed on the brakes and did my best to steer away from a crash. The van ended up rolling into the ditch.

I got banged up fairly badly and lost my cell phone at some point in the accident. I reached up from my seat and pressed the glowing button on the GPS tracking device. The voice I heard was like an angel. They asked if I needed assistance and I explained what had happened. I was told to stay with the vehicle and that help was on its way.

I gathered my son and some blankets and stood outside the overturned van to wait for help. The ambulance came very quickly and whisked us away to warmth and safety. My wife was informed and arrived at the hospital later that night. Since that day, my wife has not said a word about the GPS tracking subscription fee and we’ve decided to install one on our car.