What To Do If Your Car Breaks Down

Roadside vehicle breakdowns can happen to anyone, at any time. The most common roadside emergencies include a dead battery, a flat tire, an overheated engine or running out of gas. If you’re unsure what to do if your car breaks down, here are a few tips to help you.

**Full Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Pull off the road – On most roads, you should pull over to the right shoulder of the road, while trying to stay on level ground. Be sure that you pull as far off the road as you possibly can. If your car stalls and you’re not able to move it off the road, be sure to turn on your vehicle’s hazard lights.

Make your vehicle visible – Once you are safely off the road, you’ll want to alert other drivers that you’re experiencing car troubles. You can do this by turning on your vehicle’s hazard lights. You can also put up road flares by your vehicle. Other vehicles must be able to see your car from a pretty good distance away, so that they have ample time to change lanes, if needed. As a general rule, place one flare 15 feet behind your vehicle, aligning it with the middle of the back bumper. Then, place a second flare 30 feet behind the first flare. If you’re on a two-lane roadway, you’ll want to place another flare at least 15 feet in front of your vehicle.

Note your vehicle’s location – Before you call for help, you’re going to need to know where you are. If you don’t’ know your exact location, jot down useful information such as freeway mile markers, intersections, landmarks (business complexes, restaurants or shopping centers), major freeway exits or street names.

Call for help – If you have roadside assistance, call them for help. These services are available 24/7. You’ll need to provide the operator with your membership number, phone number where you can be reached, your location, description of your vehicle (make, model and color) and the nature of your problem. If you don’t have roadside assistance, call a local towing company to send a tow truck to come tow your vehicle to a repair shop.

Don’t try and fix the problem yourself – Even if you are in a hurry or you think you know what the problem is, don’t try and fix the problem yourself. Trying to do any type of DIY repairs could end up making the problem worse. It is better to let an experienced, trained mechanic handle the task.

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