What to Do When Your Car Breaks Down in The Middle of The Road

One of the worst things that could happen when you drive is when your car breaks down in the middle of the road. This is aside, of course, from injurious and fatal accidents on the road, but your car is breaking down in the middle of traffic can provoke these kinds of freak accidents too.  

Aside from this grave situations, there are a plethora of bad consequences of your car breaking down. Depending on the severity of the damage, you would be late for your appointment, or you would miss it completely. These bad consequences can still get worse, however, if you don’t know how to respond to these situations. Equip yourself with knowledge and know what to do when your car breaks down in the middle of the road.  

1. Stay Calm 

If you start to notice that something is off with your vehicle and if starts breaking down, you must stay calm. Accidents occur largely occur not because of the faulty vehicle but from the panic of the driver when he discovers it. Stay calm amidst the situation, and know that there are still things you can do.  

2. Pull Over 

When the car is breaking down, it is essential that you have to properly pull over to a safe spot. Again, don’t panic and immediately pull over to the side of the road because the spot may be dangerous. An example of this dangerous spots is when you are on a mountain road which has narrow roads and has a lot of twists and turns that create blind turns.   

Assess your situation and find a safe spot, and if you can’t find any, you can resort on blocking up a path of the road but make sure that you are in the farthest right spot. Remaining calm in pulling over also involves not stepping on the breaks immediately and strongly. Gradually slow down and light up your hazard lights, so that your fellow drivers know you are in distress and they will slow down in overtaking your car.  

When you are in a safe spot, engage the parking breaks and switch off the ignition but keep the hazard lights on working.   

3. Diagnose the Problem 

When you are in a hurry, you can diagnose the problem yourself. This, of course, also depends on your technical knowledge about cars. But whether you have a general knowledge or not, it is very difficult to fix your car in this situation because it is unlikely that you brought the necessary tools to fix the problem. The only problems you can fix immediately is if the cables of your battery are loose or if you have blown a fuse.  

4. Call People 

When a couple of restarts don’t work, it is wise to call People in this situation. People that can help you in this situation can be the police or a friend that has tools and technical knowledge. Or more wisely, you can contact your towing service provider. They will take care of your troubled car while you wait or when you opt to still go to your appointment.