There’s nothing more stressful and fear-inducing than having a breakdown on the road. Whether it’s local to where you live or more worryingly – in the middle of nowhere – breaking down in your vehicle can be a bit of a nightmare that no one wants to be faced with.
However, it can happen and so it’s important to do what you can to handle the breakdown quickly and effectively. Whether you’re alone or you have others with you in the vehicle, here are some top tips to handle a breakdown without having a breakdown yourself.
While it may seem like something to be stressed about, worse things can happen and thankfully, you’ve got your health – so of course, it could be much worse.
Don’t panic
Try not to panic. It’s easier said than done but it’s something that can really help to take stock of the situation and to deal with it in the most appropriate manner.
Panicking is only going to make you feel worse and those who are also in the situation with you. It’s something that you’ll want to be matter-of-fact with. Ok, so you’ve broken down, what next? Keep yourself calm and go through the necessary steps in order to resolve the situation. It’s a frustrating situation to be in but it happens and panicking isn’t going to get you out it any sooner.
Move yourself to safety
Before you do anything, move yourself to safety or you’ve broken down on a motorway, for example. You don’t want to be sitting in your car if you’re in a place that potentially is going to cause an accident. Ideally, you want to have broken down at the side of the road but that doesn’t always happen.
Sometimes, it’s a case of moving yourself from the vehicle and taking yourself off the road and into a safe area. If it’s on the motorway, then you’ll likely want to get off the road and onto the verge so you’re out of the way of oncoming traffic.
Have an emergency contacts list to hand
An emergency contact list is a must when you’ve broken down on the road. It’s something that you’ll want on your phone but ideally, you’ll want to have it in a physical form too. While our phones are useful to have, they’re not always reliant and if it’s been damaged or has a dead battery, you’ll need to rely on another person’s phone.
Having that emergency contacts list to hand is going to get you to help a lot faster and it’s something that will get you out of the situation sooner rather than later. For those who have a working phone, make sure you have some of those emergency contacts on your speed dial so that you can contact them quickly.
Keep warm
Looking after your own health and well-being is important. Whenever you’re traveling in your car, it’s useful to kit out your car with everything that would be needed in the event of a breakdown. One of those necessities is blankets or items that will keep you and your loved ones warm.
While many hope they’ll break down in the height of summer when keeping warm isn’t a problem – that’s never really the case. Often enough, breakdowns will happen during the cooler months of the year and therefore ample coverage is needed.
Ensure a blanket or two is kept in the car at all times to ensure you are staying warm while waiting for help to arrive.
Make sure there’s a power bank in the car
A power bank is a lifesaver for those who tend to use their phone’s battery very quickly. If you’re someone that has trouble keeping their battery fully charged, then a power bank is very handy to have when you’re in a car traveling for more than an hour or two.
When a charging port is available, a power bank is going to be the next best thing to have. This will help you in situations where you might need to keep in touch with help for a period of time before it reaches you. It’s incredible just how reliant we’ve become on our phones and navigating life without them seems like a lifetime ago!
Contact your breakdown insurance cover
To ensure help is provided as quickly as possible, be sure to contact your breakdown insurance cover. This should be a part of your emergency contacts list because you’re going to need your details to hand when you’re speaking to them over the phone.
If it’s a breakdown and there’s an accident that’s been caused by someone else on the road, you’ll want to be sure to get the details of anyone that’s involved, as well as their own insurance details.
If in doubt – get a tow truck
Have any doubts about who you need to call and simply need help fast? A tow truck is going to be your best bet if you have tried to get back onto the road and your vehicle isn’t having any of it.
A tow truck can be highly effective in these situations and will be useful in those scenarios where the car has given up completely or has been damaged in some way. There are lots of companies out there too so you’ll be spoilt for choice on who to get in touch with.
Try to organize accommodation if needed
For those situations where you’re stranded and you’ve got to get some accommodation sorted for overnight, organize this as soon as you can. Get your bearings so you know where you are and where your vehicle will be taken and then try to find somewhere nearby where you can stay. You’d hope where you broke down though, that you’re close to home!
Handling a breakdown on the road is stressful but with these tips, you’ll be able to ensure you’re back up and on the road in no time at all. These tips will help keep you in control of the situation and to resolve it quickly enough.