What to Do If Your Car Breaks Down on the Highway

Sep 22, 2016

What to Do If Your Car Breaks Down on the Highway When you’re out on the road, there are few things more frightening than your vehicle breaking down. Many drivers don’t know what to do in this situation, which is why we’ve broken down the steps that you should take if this happens to you. Prevent further damage and injury by following these tips.

Ease to a Stop

Even though your first reaction might be to hit the brake pedal when something feels wrong, it’s better to just take your foot off the accelerator and ease to a stop. As you are slowing down, get to the side of the road where you can safely steer onto a shoulder or other area. Make sure to use your signals so that other drivers know you are changing lanes, and watch for traffic coming up behind you. Get to an exit if possible.

Make Your Car Visible

Even in the daytime, it can be hard to see a car on the side of the road until it’s very close. When darkness falls, visibility drops even more. Do everything you can to make your car visible. Start by turning on the emergency flashers, and put reflective triangles (often found in a roadside emergency kit) on the ground behind your car. If you get stranded at night, turn on the interior lights of your car. Keep a flashlight handy so you can see your surroundings, but avoid shining it at other cars as they pass. Wait in your car with the doors locked until someone can come and help you.

Look for Problems

Some car problems are easy to diagnose and repair, such as a tire blowout. You can simply pull off the road to a safe spot and put on a spare tire, and then head to a tire shop to get it replaced. However, troubles beneath the hood are harder to diagnose, especially if you aren’t familiar with the workings of your vehicle. It’s better to avoid driving if you don’t know what the problem is, otherwise you might make the problem worse.

If you are having a problem that is beyond repair, put the hood up and tie something white to it, or hang it out the window. This is a universal sign that you need help. If a police officer or a tow truck driver passes by, they will know to stop and help you.

Call for Help

Since most drivers have cell phones, you should always call for help as soon as you become stranded. If you’re stuck in an area without service, look around for a call-for-help phone. These are often placed near mile markers on interstate highways. Major highways and freeways are patrolled regularly, so watch for police officers and other emergency responders who can assist you as well.

While nobody likes to be stranded on the side of the road, knowing what to do makes the experience less stressful. Get your car out of oncoming traffic, make your vehicle visible, try to find the problem, and call for help.

image from Pixabay licensed under CC BY 2.0