Tips on What to Do If Your Car Breaks Down on the Freeway

Nobody knows when or where their vehicle may break down. One of the most scariest things to think about is if your vehicle breaks down on the freeway. What should you do? Should you stay in the car or walk on the freeway to get help? How do you know where you are? Is there anyone that you could call to help you? Many of these questions are asked when you are broken down. Most people aren't prepared when they are broken down, but have no worries because this article will give you helpful and safe tips on what to do if your car breaks down on the freeway.

Here are some important suggestions you should considering on doing if your car breaks down on the freeway:

Safety

1. Try to move the veh to the safest loc on the freeway as possible

You are probably wondering that there is really no totally safe location to be broken down on the freeway, and that is probably true. However, it is better to be on the emergency right shoulder then blocking traffic. The emergency lane on the right shoulder of the freeway is the better place to break down and I will tell you some more reason's why later.

2. If your vehicle is blocking traffic then find a safe place for you to be in

All situations are different when you break down. It could be dark outside or lighted on the freeway. Only you can decided if it is safer to stay in the car while broken down, or get out of the vehicle. Here are some things to consider if you do either or. If you decid to stay in your car when your vehicle is broken down and you are blocking traffic make sure to put your hazard lights on and wear your seat belt. If you decided to get out of the vehicle while in traffic remeber to be careful for on coming traffic, try using hand signals.

Who to call for help

1. 911 or Police

If you feel endangered especially if you are blocking traffic then definately call 911. Usually if you are on a cell phone on the freeway the call automatically goes to chp. Remember your safety comes first. 911 operators usually give freeway calls more priority, and if you feel unsafe they can send out a unit to help direct traffic.

2. Triple AAA

The American Automobile Association operates all around the United States offering membership for emergency roadside service. If you are stuck on the road AAA provides tow truck assistant for those needing towing, emergency fuel delivery, battery jump, lockout service and more. Even if you don't want to join the club AAA provides informations on Tow Truck companies that are available in the area that can help you if you are broken down. If you want more information on AAA just go to their website.

3. Freeway Metro Service

There are many cities that offer a Free Freeway Metro Service for drivers who are broken down. What the metro service does is to make sure you get to a safer location or get going. If you need fuel they can give you a emergency amount, or if you are broken down they can take you off the freeway to a safer location.

Knowing Where you are so someone can find you

Alot of people don't know where they are when they break down on the freeway. This part can be very scary and frustrating if you are on the freeway and now know where you are. Some people break down and there are no signs anywhere but no worries because there are some things you can do to narrow down your location.

1. One thing you can do is remember where you got onto the freeway and estimate how long you have been driving. If you can also estimate how far or long away you are from your destination. You can estimate that every minute you have been driving can be a mile.

2. Look for landmarks or any bussinesses you can see off the freeway. When you call for help these things can narrow your location. Landmarks can include anything unusual like windmills or a well, and if you have a bussiness most people can look up the bussiness up that might be close to that freeway.

3. Be aware of your surroundings and make sure you know what freeway you are. Try to remember the last offramp you saw, or the next onramp coming up.

4. Look for mile markers or call boxes. If you have a mile marker it really does help narrow where you are. You can tell someone you are at EB ### next to mile maker #. A call box really helps because then you have the exact number, and if you use the call box and talk to a operator they can also send help

How to Contact Help

1. It is always good to have a cell phone especially if you are broken down on the freeway. With a cell phone you can contact 911, friend's, family, AAA, 411, or anyone else you think that could help you

2. If you don't have a cell phone then try to find a CALL BOX. Earlier I said it is better to break down on the right shoulder and that's because CALL BOXES are usually on the right shoulder. Call boxes are there for emergencies and is free to use. You usually get help pretty quickly using a call box as well.

3. If there is no call box, and you have no cell phone, another option is walking off the freeway to a gas station or somewhere with a pay phone. Again the reason it would be better to try to break down on the right shoulder of the freeway is because offramps are usually on the right side. It would be very dangerous if you tried to cross the freeway to get to a offramp from the center divider. This option is not the safest so remember to be as safe as possible when walking on the freeway.

So these are just some tips on what you can do if you ever are broken down on the freeway. If you know these tips it may be able to get you help sooner, and you will know what to do in case of a emergency.