(Photo: flickr/Charles Williams)

D.C. drivers, there's about 12 hours left to buy AAA Mid-Atlantic's special deal through Groupon — a year of roadside assistance for only $30, a value that Groupon says is normally about $65. Have you found yourself wishing for a AAA card while staring at a busted tire recently? Now is your chance.

The Groupon deal began over the weekend, I noticed, and seems to have been extended throughout Monday today. The membership comes with 24/7 assistance in case you need your car jumped, towed, or any number of other mechanical problems. More than 3,800 D.C. area residents have already signed up for the deal. I'm reminded of the potent local response to the LivingSocial Zipcar deal, in which nearly 4,000 new Zipsters were created. These transit discounts have real economic power, especially in a recession. Everyone's ready to save a buck on what normally is such an expensive sphere of their lives.

As the site's notoriously snappy writers phrase it:

Even the most careful drivers can be waylaid by tire trouble, an overheated engine, or deer foraging for hamburger wrappers. Prepare for on-the-road mishaps with today's Groupon: for $30, you get a one-year basic primary membership to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Buy your AAA membership now, D.C., if you're in need. The clock is ticking.