Most modern-day cars come with all kinds of crazy technology in them. As a result, you might not think that people would be breaking down in their cars much these days.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth! Vehicle breakdowns have actually soared to new heights in recent years as millions of Americans have gotten stranded in their cars on the side of the road.
If your car ever breaks down on you, you’re going to have a true roadside emergency on your hands. You’ll need to know what to do in order to get yourself out of a tough spot.
You’ll also need to know what to do if a car accident ever leaves you stranded. It’s another instance in which you could put yourself into a bad position if you don’t take the right steps.
Here is a guide on how to handle a roadside emergency.
Get Your Car to the Side of the Road
When you first realize that you might have a roadside emergency on your hands, you should pull your car all the way to the side of the road, put it into park, and shut it down. You should look around for a safe place to park where it’ll be easy for other drivers to see you and your car.
The last thing you want to do is let your car sit idly in the middle of the road and cause a traffic jam. You also don’t want to park your car in a place where you and your car might be put into danger.
Getting your car to safety during a roadside emergency should be your top priority. It’ll help you get a handle on the situation and allow you to prevent accidents from happening around you.
Assess the Situation
Once you have your car parked safely on the side of the road, you should try to assess the situation that you find yourself in so that you can figure out what to do next.
Your car has likely conked out on you for some reason. You might have a flat tire, a dead car battery, or another issue that is going to stop you from driving. You should make it your mission to identify the issue at hand.
In some cases, you might be able to find out what’s wrong with your car without getting out of it. But you may also have to climb out of your car and walk around the outside of it or pop the hood to see what’s going on with it.
Put Out Road Flares
Even if you park your car in a place that seems very safe, there is always going to be a chance that someone might not see your car. This could lead to them running right into the back of it while driving down the street.
To steer clear of this problem, you should put out road flares behind your car, especially if your car breaks down at night. If you have a vehicle emergency kit in your car, it should contain the road flares that you’ll need.
Road flares will make it impossible for other people to miss your car. There is almost no chance that they’ll come close to running into it when you have road flares out.
See If You Can Fix the Problem
If you know a little bit about cars, you might be able to fix whatever has caused yours to break down on you. It’s simple enough to jumpstart a car or fix a flat tire.
You’re probably not going to want to start taking your car apart while you’re parked on the side of the road. But if you think you can get the job done, you might be able to get your car up and running again in no time.
Call for Roadside Assistance
Are you signed up for one of the many roadside assistance plans? If you are, you should put your roadside assistance company to the test the next time you have a roadside emergency.
If you’re not able to figure out what’s wrong with your car, you can call them and have someone sent out to your exact location quickly to fix the problem. Look around to see where you’re at and then contact your roadside assistance company to let them know that you need their help right away.
Get Your Car Towed
More often than not, you’re not going to be able to fix whatever caused your car to break down on you while it’s sitting on the side of the road. You’re going to need to get it to a local auto repair shop so that they can remedy the situation.
This is sometimes easier said than done. Since you’re not going to be able to drive your car to a shop, you’ll need to arrange to have it towed.
If you have a roadside assistance plan, the company that you have it through might be able to assist you in getting your car towed to a nearby shop. But if you don’t, it’s going to be up to you to Google “towing near me” so that you can find a tow truck to help you.
Either way, you should do your best to get your car fixed up fast. You should also make it a point to learn how to maintain your car so that you don’t find yourself in a similar situation later on down the line.
Don’t Let a Roadside Emergency Keep You Down
Finding yourself in the middle of a roadside emergency can be stressful. You might not know what in the world you’re supposed to do first.
Take each of the steps that we listed here to take control of the situation. You should be able to find yourself out of a roadside emergency by taking the right approach to it.
Want to learn more about taking good care of your car? Find some useful tips by poking around on the rest of our blog.
