We have a Protect-A-Tow for our CR-V. It really does a good job. Certainly something like this is a necessity if you want to protect the toad on difficult roads. I believe that should you encounter an "Alligator" in the road it would prove invaluable. I don't like the extra time it takes to hook it up and unhook it. I know it is only a matter of about five minutes but that adds to the overall process of getting ready to go or leave. I've found that as my toad has gotten older I no longer use it for trips of 100 miles or so. I towed an old Mazda pickup almost 20K miles w/o an incident with no protection other than mud flaps. This does not argue against Protect-A-Tow for it is a good product with equally good customer support.