Towing Carefully and Without Injuring Your Vehicle: Industry Tips

Your vehicle allows you to get from one location to another, but even the most reliable cars can break down from time to time. No matter what type of vehicle you may own, breaking down on the side of the road is a situation that you could likely find yourself in at least once. When your car breaks down, it is important that you know the steps you need to take in order to maintain your safety and the safety of the other motorists on the roadways.

Be Aware of Surroundings

The first thing that you need to be aware of when your car breaks down is your surroundings. This means that you need to accurately determine the general location where you are stranded. Look for mile markers are road signs that give you insight on the major exits or cross streets near by.

Pulling Off Roadway

When you are pulling your car off to the side of the road, it is important that you move to the far right shoulder. This is always the ideal part of the roadway to pull over onto. Make sure that you pull away from traffic as far as possible without putting yourself in danger. If it is impossible to pull your car off to the side due to the type of mechanical issue you are experiencing, you need to turn your flashers on right away to alert other drivers of an issue, then exit your vehicle as soon as possible. However, you should not stand directly behind or in front of your vehicle. If another driver strikes your vehicle, this could leave you at risk of being hit. Simply get out of harms way and safely get to the side of the road that is away from traffic.

Alert Other Drivers

Before you call for roadside assistance, you need to make sure that other drivers are alerted. This means that you need to make sure that your emergency flashers are on or that the hood of your car is up. Both of these will help to increase the visibility of your vehicle. Using flares can also be a great way to alert other drivers of your presence on the roadways. Be sure to place flares directly behind your vehicle as close to the road as possible without obstructing the roadway. If you smell some type of fuel leak, do not use flares at all.