4 Tips for Breaking Down in the City
You never want to find yourself stranded on the side of the road. When this unfortunate event occurs on the highway or in the middle of nowhere, it can be a frightening ordeal. While breaking down in the city isn't quite as intimidating, it can sometimes be significantly more stressful. The situation may seem even worse if your car doesn't start at a crowded intersection or a busy street.
As with any emergency, remaining calm and carefully evaluating the situation is critical to getting through to the other side with your sanity intact. These four tips will help you navigate this sometimes perilous situation so you can move your car to safety and get it back on the road as soon as possible.
1. Determine If You're Blocking Traffic
Breakdowns can sometimes occur without warning. For example, a failing alternator might only give you a few moments to realize that something is wrong, and you may be unable to do much while stuck in gridlock downtown. While it's always ideal to move your car safely to the side of the road, this may not be possible in every situation.
When your car comes to a sudden halt on a busy road, you can severely disrupt traffic flow and potentially create a hazard for other drivers. You should generally call the (non-emergency) police number first and then call for a tow in these situations. Depending on how badly you are disrupting traffic, the police may want to provide their own wrecker to move your vehicle.
2. Avoid Directing Traffic Yourself
Directing traffic is an incredibly dangerous job. You may want to help direct traffic around your broken vehicle, but you should never attempt to do this job on your own. Not only are flaggers trained for their work, but they also have access to proper protective gear and high-visibility equipment.
Instead, stay in your vehicle and make sure you turn your hazard lights on. Getting out to place warning triangles or flares nearby (if you have them) is generally not advisable when stuck in a crowded area with traffic. Once the police or towing company arrives, they will help to secure the road around your car and get traffic moving again.
3. Inform Your Wrecker of the Situation
In any breakdown situation, you should explain your location and surroundings to the towing company. Towing dispatchers must make judgment calls about the equipment to use to ensure adequate transport of your vehicle and the safety of their drivers. Breaking down on a busy road is a potentially hazardous situation, so your towing company will need to consider this.
Additionally, when you inform the wrecker that you are stuck in traffic, they can provide you with a better estimate of their arrival time. Letting the police know that a tow truck is already on the way with an existing ETA may allow you to avoid the hassle of dealing with a police wrecker and impound. Likewise, the towing company can prioritize your situation if they know you are blocking traffic.
4. Stay Calm, Stay Inside
A breakdown in gridlock might seem like a relatively safe situation, but this is rarely the case. Frustrated drivers may attempt dangerous maneuvers to squeeze around your vehicle, making it especially hazardous to walk on the road. In general, it's best to remain safely in your car (with your seatbelt on) until help can arrive.
One possible exception is if your car died in the right lane near a curb or soft shoulder. In these cases, you might be able to exit the vehicle through the passenger door safely. Still, never open your driver's door and step into traffic, even if the traffic around you is at a standstill. Your vehicle offers more safety, and help will inevitably quickly arrive when you are impacting traffic.
AA Wrecker Service has the experience and knowledge to get your car out of any situation, no matter how hopeless it may seem. Whether you're stuck in the mud or trapped in downtown Fort Worth or the surrounding areas, give us a call and we can send help to get your car back to safety!
