Roadside Services and Towing

Roadside Services and Towing: What to Do If Your Car Breaks Down

Car breakdowns can happen when you least expect it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared. Here are some keys tips to remember so you’re ready when the time comes.

Get Your Car Out of Traffic

Your first priority has to be to get your vehicle to safety. If you have time and your car’s struggling along, then try to find a straight section of road to avoid problems with curves. Even if the engine cuts out while you’re driving, you can usually still steer the car to the side of the road while coasting. Try to get it as far off the road as possible.

You can’t always get your car out of the road, for instance in rush hour traffic. If this happens, don’t get out of your car. Turn on your hazard lights and call 911 immediately. The police will send out someone to direct traffic and get your car out of the traffic flow.

Make Your Car Visible

You want to make your car as visible as possible to avoid any further accidents. If it’s during the day, then turn on your hazard lights. At night, these can make it seem like your car is still moving, so turn on your interior light for extra visibility.

If it’s safe for you to get out, there are other things you can do to increase visibility. If you have them, use flares or hazard triangles spaced out leading up to your car. It’s also a good idea to raise the hood to let other know that you’re in trouble.

Call For Help

If you have roadside coverage, then you should give them a call, or call someone who can contact the service. If you’re not safely out of the flow of traffic, then your first call should be to the police. Not everyone has roadside service, though. In that case, then you can call a towing company to come out and help you.

Almost everyone has a cell phone these days, but in case you don’t have one or don’t have service, you should look for emergency call boxes. If there’s one within easy sight of your vehicle, then you should use it. Otherwise, stay with your vehicle until someone stops.

Stay With Your Car

Once you’ve called, you should stay with your car until help arrives. If there’s a barrier, then wait behind the barrier. If there isn’t and traffic is somewhat close to your car, then stay in your car with your seatbelt on.

Even if you didn’t call for help, you should still stay with your car. Highway patrol and state troopers patrol common routes, and sooner or later one of them will spot you. Also, other motorists will often call breakdowns in, especially truck drivers over their CB system.