There are 69 million vehicle breakdowns per year.
When it comes to roadside emergencies, the biggest thing you can do is prepare. Regular preventative maintenance on your car is crucial, but some breakdowns are hard to predict. If you end up stranded on the side of the road, you need to know what to do next.
In this post, we’ll give you the steps to take to get prompt emergency roadside assistance. If you’re calm and collected, there’s no reason that you can’t bring yourself out of this jam with ease. Keep reading and find out what you need to do.
Importance of Roadside Assistance Insurance
Before we discuss the steps you need to take during a breakdown, let’s go over roadside assistance insurance. You can obtain this from various sources, from your auto insurance company to AAA or your credit card.
You pay a monthly premium, and roadside assistance helps with fuel delivery, towing, jumpstarting, etc. It’s one of those things that you may overlook, but it can help you in a dire situation.
When a breakdown occurs, you may be able to call a roadside assistance hotline. If you need help, you can contact the towing service directly and file a claim later.
Get Your Car to Safety
The first thing to do if your car breaks down is to get it to as safe a place as possible. Barring a major mechanical failure, you should be able to pull the car over to the side of the road. If you have to, coast to a stop, angle your wheels away from the road and put the parking brake on.
Make Yourself Visible
No matter where the car ends up, it would be best to make it visible to other drivers so you don’t cause any accidents. Start by putting your hazard lights on. It’s generally recommended that you stay in your vehicle unless it’s safe to get out.
If you do leave the car, get out on the passenger side. Once out, you can make the scene more visible by propping your hood up or attaching a cloth or a t-shirt to your antenna. If you’ve got an emergency pack—this is highly recommended—you can also put out cones and flares.
Call for Roadside Assistance
Once you’re visible to other drivers and as safe as possible, call the roadside assistance hotline or towing service. It’s essential to keep a cell phone charger in the car for emergencies, whether it’s one you plug into your car lighter or a portable battery pack.
It’s also essential to have a good understanding of where you are. Some newer cars are equipped with things like OnStar that send out a GPS signal but make a note of any landmarks, so the towing company knows where to go.
If you’re in Blount County, call Hurst Towing. We’ve been serving the Birmingham area for 31 years, so we’ll be able to find you wherever you are and get your car to safety.
Have an Emergency Roadside Assistance Procedure
The fact of the matter is you never know when a breakdown could occur. Having a plan is essential, and these roadside emergency tips should help you navigate any breakdown.
One of the keys to emergency roadside assistance is a reliable towing company. At Hurst Towing and Recovery, we’ve got a large fleet of tow trucks and trailers and a large staff of capable drivers.