Roadside Emergency Tips
By Kimberly Graf. Published on November 21, 2024
No one wants to be in a situation where they are stranded on the side of the road. It's the worst nightmare of many drivers, but it still happens far too often. But what do you do when it happens to you? There are a few things that you can do to stop a bad situation from becoming worse. We'll walk you through it!
By far, the best thing that you can do to be more effective in any sort of emergency situation is to be prepared. If you're pulled over on the side of the road, know what you're supposed to do. Keep an emergency kit with you in the car to tackle the most common of these issues. It will go a long way towards easing your mind.
For this kit, you're going to want to keep flares or reflective cones (there are collapsible versions that take up no room at all). You'll also want a First Aid kit just in case you or someone you are with is injured during the emergency. Take extra water, a blanket, and common repair tools. This may include a spare tire, a jack, and various simple car care tools.
Snacks are also a good choice to keep with you, in case you are stuck for a long time. If you live somewhere that gets really cold in the winter, take extra clothing and protective gear.
Another way to prepare for this situation is to have roadside assistance coverage on your auto insurance. Call them right away so they can dispatch someone to help you as quickly as possible. And if you don't have roadside assistance – get it! You never know when it will come in handy to get towed to a repair shop, or even just have gas brought to you if you run out without warning. It usually isn't an expensive service to add to most insurance plans.
But even with all of the preparation and regular maintenance, sometimes your car is going to break down, or have a flat tire. So what do you do when that happens?
First off, you need to get off the road and out of traffic. This is of paramount importance. If you can't get the car out of the way, you might cause an accident that leads to further damage and injury. Find somewhere you can get off the road but still be fairly close to the roadway when help comes.
Make sure that your car is somewhere where you can easily see it. Don't park on blind turns or in dimly-lit places if you can help it. This will also minimize the impact of your emergency on other drivers.
When you get to a place that everyone can easily see, make sure that you flip your hazard lights on. It's usually a button on top of your steering wheel or somewhere else on your dash with a big red triangle on it. This alerts other drivers that you aren't just pulled over to take a call. This might also alert any police or emergency workers that pass you that you are in need of help.
If you need to get out of the car to either fix an issue or look at what that might be, make sure that you get out on the side of the car that isn't facing traffic. This might mean that you have to climb over the seat to get out on the safest side, but don't count on other drivers to move over or miss you.
If you have flares or reflective cones, put them far enough out that the cars coming have fair warning, especially at night.
And when you've done that and help is on the way, make sure that you wait in your car. Don't wander around or sit outside of your car, because it is difficult for other drivers to keep track of you, and you might be a distraction. Sit inside your car (preferably with the doors locked) and wait for help to arrive.
The reason that you want to sit with the doors locked is our last point: be wary! Because you're pulled over on the side of the road, many people might want to stop and see if you're doing okay. Not all of these people have the best intentions. So make sure that you stay safe by telling people that you're fine, and wait for the proper emergency services to get there.
A lot of people might be stopping just to try and help, which is a nice thing to do. But just in case… always make sure to wait for the authorities or the help that you've called to arrive.
Perhaps the single most important thing to remember in a roadside emergency is to stay calm. Getting upset does nothing for your situation, and often clouds your ability to think clearly and rationally.
If you happen to find yourself in a roadside emergency situation, keep your head and follow a few simple rules to make sure that a bad situation doesn't get any worse.
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