There's nothing like the word "perk" to make us perk up our ears. We're taught from a very young age to look for the perks in everything, and to always take advantage of the chance to add a little extra value to whatever we're spending our money on. Why, then, do so many people say no to the perks that go hand in hand with their car insurance policy?

Believe it or not, there are actually tons of perks that go hand in hand with the average car insurance policy that most drivers never take advantage of for one reason or another. Let's take a look at those perks, and why ignoring them is one of the worst choices you could ever make!

RENTAL INSURANCE

If you were out of state and you happened to get in an accident, what would you do? Would you patiently ride with the tow truck to the garage, wait for them to check in your car then take a cab back to your hotel, only to spend the rest of your vacation either paying a fortune in cab fares or pacing the floor of your hotel room because you don't have anywhere else to go? That's no way to spend your time. Unfortunately, renting a car for the rest of that vacation doesn't come cheap.

This is where your car insurance company comes into play. Many car insurance companies offer rental insurance along with their standard insurance policy at very little extra cost. With that rental insurance you can afford to rent a car for the rest of the time that your car is out of commission instead of being left scrambling while you wait for the mechanics and the insurance appraiser to catch up.

EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

It started with AAA, but it didn't stop there! Emergency roadside assistance is something that every driver needs at some point or another, and since purchasing that assistance from companies like AAA has become so popular many car insurance companies have started lumping it in with their regular insurance packages. With emergency roadside assistance you've got someone to call when you're locked out of your car, you've run out of gas or you've got a tire that needs changing, and you're usually covered for (x) miles of tow assistance without any additional costs.

ADDITIONAL MEDICAL INSURANCE

One of the biggest bills that you're going to have looming over your head after an accident is medical care. If you have health insurance through your job or your partner it's not that big a deal, but if you don't it can turn into a major problem. (Especially when you consider the fact that most emergency rooms charge you $500 or more just to step in and say hello!) With additional medical insurance through your car insurance company you're insured against the bills resulting from your accident, and you can put the money in your savings account to use doing more important things.

Like picking up another set of wheels.

With all of these perks just sitting at their fingertips, why would anybody say no? Some people are afraid of the additional costs. Some people just don't think it's necessary. Some drivers have all of these services through other providers. Whatever the case, before you say no out of hand take a second to see what your car insurance provider has to offer. You might be surprised at just how easily you can make those perks work for you.