Roadside Help at Push of a Button

Inglewood yelped at its portrayal in “Grand Canyon” as a dank maze where a Lakers fan might lose his life, Lexus and cellular phone to boys from the ‘hood.

Civic protest, however, was silenced forever when life imitated art last month and somebody tried to mug the Inglewood police chief. And he was riding a bicycle.

Clearly, these days, no matter the vehicle or its location in Los Angeles--or Chicago, Detroit, Dallas or Miami--a breakdown could see trouble arriving before the tow truck.

With that in mind, TeleTrac--whose electronic surveillance has long protected parked cars, located stolen vehicles and surprised more than one carjacker--has added a new refinement: Roadside Assistance.

Flat tire? Dead battery? Hit the anxiety button--the panic button comes later--and TeleTrac monitors triangulate your position and dispatch a tow truck to the scene. A return signal is your reassurance of message received.

TeleTrac charges $15 a month (plus installation) for its basic service. Assistance costs an extra $2.95, says Ron May of TeleTrac.

“Response time is between 30 and 50 minutes,” he says, but “you don’t have to pay $50 a month for a cellular phone, either.”

For details, call (800) 800-7500. On any phone.