Get off the road
At the first sign of trouble, whether lost power, steam, a bad noise or a burning smell, turn on the hazard lights and start working right. Do not brake hard. Momentum is the only thing you have, so spend it reaching an exit, a parking lot or a wide, straight shoulder. If the engine dies, the steering and brakes still work but take far more muscle. Stop as far from the travel lane as you can, turn the wheels away from the road and set the parking brake.
Stay or get out
On a highway shoulder with traffic passing at speed, the safest place is usually inside the car with your seat belt on. If you must get out, or if the car is stopped where it could be hit, leave by the passenger side, climb behind the guardrail and wait well away from the car and upstream of it. Never stand in front of or behind the car. Reflective triangles, if you can place them safely, go about 10, 100 and 200 feet behind the car. If the car dies in a travel lane and will not move, keep the hazards on and your belt fastened and call 911 at once.
Make the call
Roadside coverage may come with your insurance policy, an auto club membership, the car's warranty or a credit card. Be ready with the following.
- The dispatcher needs the highway, the direction of travel and the nearest mile marker or exit.
- The dispatcher needs the car's make, model and color, and what it is doing or not doing.
- The driver needs a destination, which should be your own mechanic if possible.
Overheating
If the temperature gauge climbs toward red, turn the air conditioning off and the heater on full, which pulls heat from the engine, and pull over. Shut the engine off and wait at least thirty minutes. Do not open the radiator cap while anything is hot.
Dealing with the tow
Accept a tow only from the company your provider names, and decline trucks that simply appear. Agree on the price and the destination before the car is hooked up, since an out-of-pocket tow commonly runs $75 to $125 plus several dollars a mile. Take your valuables and get a receipt with the address of the lot.
Tip Save your roadside assistance number in your phone and on a card in the glove box today. Searching for it on a dark shoulder with eight percent battery is a poor time to learn your policy number.
