Car breakdowns while you’re on the road are some of the most stressful and dangerous situations that drivers can get into. When this occurs, it’s imperative to quickly pull over to a safe place on the side of the road; unfortunately, this isn’t always easy, and the panic of wanting to stop as soon as possible often causes drivers to pull over in an unsafe area. In this blog entry, the towing experts here at Towing Chicago will detail the three most dangerous areas where you can wait for roadside assistance.
Next to your Car
Never stand in front of or behind your car while you wait for roadside assistance. This is a dangerous place to wait as other drivers may not see you, and collide with you or your vehicle. We recommend either waiting inside your vehicle or walking far away from the road and waiting there before your towing company arrives.
On the Road
We recommend pulling your car as far away off the road as possible when you notice driving issues are happening. The goal is to get as far away as possible from oncoming traffic – staying still on the road is incredibly dangerous! Make sure to put your hazard lights on no matter what, making it clear to other drivers that your car has broken down; but even when you do, pull off the road, as other drivers may not notice and slam into you. Pull to the right hand side off the road onto the shoulder if possible – or the emergency lane. Off the road when it’s do-able is also a good option. Of course, certain roads are more difficult to pull off than others, especially when cars break down suddenly, but we recommend you try your absolute hardest to get off the road while you wait for roadside assistance.
Outside a Car when on a Highway
Of course, if you breakdown while on a highway or over ramp, you don’t have the option of pulling off the road. However, if you’ve broken down in this environment, you need to NOT GET OUTSIDE OF YOUR VEHICLE – it’s incredibly risky to stand outside your car on an active highway or over ramp, as your chances of being hit by a car moving fast (cars often move faster in this environment, and speeding cars are not uncommon) is much greater. Try to pull to the side of the road (somewhere visibly) as much as possible, and turn your hazard lights on, but don’t get out of your car.