Even though being in our own vehicle makes us feel like we’re independent and safe, that bubble tends to pop quite fast when your vehicle ends up breaking down in the middle of nowhere.
In a case like that, you could just grab a taxi and go home, but you can’t because the vehicle you paid thousands of dollars for can’t just be abandoned and left behind! That is when you call a tow truck.
In a perfect world, the tow truck would arrive seconds after you call it, but in the real world, it’s likely that the tow truck will take a while before it gets to you. In the time that you wait, you have to make sure that you’re staying safe.
In this post, we’re going to be going over everything you need to do to ensure you’re staying safe while you wait!
#1: Make sure you’ve called the right towing company
The first thing you need to do is make sure that the towing company you’ve contacted is a good one. One way to do that is by googling “Towing Company Boston” (or the area you’re in), and make sure that the one you’ve contacted is at least in the top 5. If it isn’t, cancel the truck and call one higher rated. You need your vehicle to be handled by someone who’s trustworthy!
#2: Don’t wait in the middle of the road
Even if your car has broken down in the middle of the road, it’s important that you at least try to move it to the side. If your car is off to the side, it’s going to be a lot safer when it comes to incoming traffic. When your car is out of the way, there’s less of a chance that another vehicle will run into it.
#3: Make sure the other cars can see that you’re stationary
Even if your vehicle is out of the way, it’s important that it is obvious that your vehicle is not moving! Ideally, you should have mini traffic cones in your car for emergencies. But on the off chance you don’t, you should, at the very least, keep your hazards on to alert the other drivers on the road that they need to watch out for yours!
#4: Preserve your phone’s battery
When you’re all alone one the side of a road, your phone is the way you’ll be able to communicate with your family and the tow truck that’s supposed to be on its way. It might be tempting to kill time and go on social media and scroll away, but you have to resist the urge to do that, even if your phone’s battery is 100%. Preserve the battery as much as you can, so you can deal with the real emergency at hand!
#5: Gather all of your valuables
As you’re going to be leaving your car, it’s important that you get all of your valuables out of there to ensure that you don’t have to rush back into the car to get everything once the truck arrives. Even if you fully trust a towing company, it’s just less stress for everyone involved if you have all of your valuables with you already!
#6: Have paperwork ready!
Finally, this is one that a lot of people accidentally miss sometimes. Part of your valuables are your documents and the car’s paperwork. When the tow truck arrives, they’re going to need to show proof that you own the vehicle that needs to be towed, just so they’re sure they’re not towing some random stranger’s car by accident. Having all of your paperwork out of the car and ready to be presented is the best, and safest way to go about the whole situation!
