Dealing With Roadside Emergencies On Busy Highways
A major problem associated with the use of automobiles is the unpredictable nature of their break-down patterns. This article provides a few tips on how motorists should deal with roadside emergencies on busy highways.
Know When To Stay In The Car
In the ideal situation, an automobile will give warning signs that it's about to break down. For example, the car may fail to shift from one gear to the next upon such instruction from the driver, or the breaks may fail to work as desired. This gives a driver adequate time to safely direct the car off the road and away from on-coming traffic.
However, the situation is often far from ideal for a large number of roadside emergencies. Many times, the vehicle's engine will fail without prior warning in the middle of the highway. Affected drivers should stay in their vehicle and look for a red or white cloth or paper, which would be used to warn other motorists of the roadside emergency. The cloth or paper should be left to hang from the driver's window.
Call In A Mobile Mechanic
Once there's reduced traffic on the highway, affected drivers should look for help to push the broken-down vehicle off the road.
At this point, the driver has two options. They can call in a mobile mechanic or a towing service company. Mobile mechanics will examine the vehicle and diagnose the cause of break-down. Those worth their salt will arrive at the scene armed with the required tools to undertake most (if not all) repairs necessitated by the break-down.
Alternatively, the driver can call in a towing service company that will help to transport the vehicle to a desired destination.
Opting for mobile mechanics gives motorists the opportunity to continue with their journey once repairs are done. Also, the cost of paying for a mobile mechanic is often lower than the cost of break-down towing.
Take The Vehicle For Service
Once back on the road, motorists should strongly consider taking their automobiles for full service. This should not be taken to imply that the mobile mechanic did not do their job well.
Roadside emergencies on busy highways are characterized by a lack of time. Often, mobile mechanics will diagnose and rectify the immediate cause of the problem so that the client can get back on the road.
A full service-check will identify any not-so-immediate problems that may have been responsible for the breakdown. It will also identity and rectify unrelated developing problems that may cause future headaches.
Roadside emergencies can be scary and stressful, but knowing ahead of time how to deal with them can help make the situation a little easier. If possible, always keep the contact information for a mobile mechanic or towing company in your car in case you need to call for their services in an emergency.
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