There is nothing more stressful than an unexpected vehicle breakdown, and depending on the circumstances, it can even be frightening. If your car breaks down in a parking lot, you are at least stopped in a safe place. However, if your car breaks down when you are out on the road, you must take immediate action to ensure the safety of you and your passengers.
Most drivers have suffered a breakdown at one time or another, yet most of us do not prepare for this eventuality. If you are among the lucky ones who have never experienced a breakdown, it is still a good idea to be prepared for it and to stay safe. Just because you are a good driver and service your car regularly, do not assume that you will not experience any breakdown. A puncture or blowout can happen to any car, and older the car, the greater its chances of a breakdown.
What are the causes of a vehicle breakdown?
Here are some of the most common causes of a vehicle breakdown. Keeping yourself aware of these can help you reduce the tendency to be stuck in the middle of nowhere because your car would not start.
- A flat or faulty battery
- Blown tires
- Running out of fuel
- Oil damage
- Alternator problems
- Starter motor problems
Some of these issues can be limited by keeping the vehicle well serviced according to the manufacturer’s program, while others cannot be avoided with even the best planning. So, you should know how to deal with an unexpected vehicle breakdown in the middle of your drive.
We hope you never have to deal with an unexpected vehicle breakdown, but what if you do?
Always Be Prepared For A Breakdown
The tired cliche of “prevention is better than cure” is also apt for these situations. Here are some tips that will allow you to be prepared for such an eventuality:
- Get breakdown or recovery cover in your insurance. Its yearly costs amount to pennies a day while the cost and hassle of dealing with an uninsured breakdown are ten times more.
- Keep a red hazard warning triangle and a waterproof yellow fluorescent vest in your car. It will come handy in high traffic roads and highways and may even save your life. It is also a requirement in many countries.
- Keep a small notebook in your glove compartment with the number for emergency car recovery service provider and numbers for police, insurance, fire, and ambulance in Carrollton, Texas. Make sure you also have these numbers tucked on a small card in your mobile and added as contacts on your smartphone.
- Keep extra change in a small Ziploc bag to make a phone call if there is no mobile signal, or the mobile battery dies.
- Keep a map to identify your location. Many people consider maps obsolete and rely instead on satellite navigation instruments in their car or nav apps on their smartphone. Still, if you are in the boonies and cannot get signals, a trusty map is always online and ready to assist.
- Keep an additional battery for your mobile in case its battery dies on you. As stated above, save all emergency contact numbers on it. Write important numbers on a small card and keep it tucked inside the mobile phone’s cover.
- Have a roadside safety kit including all the essentials such as jumper cables or portable jump starter, a tire inflator, rope, gloves, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher appropriate for vehicles, a blanket, bottled water, and first aid supplies.
What to do in case of a vehicle breakdown?
Step 1: Whether you have a flat tire or simply run out of gas in the middle of the Carrollton highway, the first thing you need to do is separate yourself from oncoming traffic. A breakdown on a highway can be quite dangerous. Fast-moving vehicles are whizzing by as you start experiencing problems with your car. Find a way to pull your car over to the right shoulder; even if your vehicle does not start, you can guide it to a safer place.
We know that this is an unnerving situation, but you must stay calm and follow a logical progression to get your vehicle safely off the highway. If you neglect your personal safety, you can turn a simple inconvenience into a life-altering event.
Step 2: Once you have pulled over to the side of the highway, turn your hazard lights on right away. This is so that oncoming motorists can see your broken-down vehicle straight ahead. If the traffic is thin and you are out of harm’s way but are in an unfamiliar area, it is better to stay in your car.
Step 3: Call for a towing service.
Looking for immediate roadside assistance in Carrollton, TX?
If your car breaks down, do not hesitate to call us for emergency car recovery. At Chavez Towing, our services are prompt and efficient, and our roadside assistance technicians are fully licensed and can reach you within 10 to 20 minutes anywhere in Carrollton. Our certified technicians can either repair your vehicle on-site or transport it to your preferred destination. We are more than a car recovery service provider; we offer services such as; flat tire replacement, vehicle jumpstart, and gas refills when you run out, and you have no backup.
For immediate and 24-hour towing services in and out of Carrollton, Texas, call Chavez Towing at (214) 731-7327. Don’t forget to check out our blog for more helpful towing information. Visit our social media for more details.