Having your car break down on you while driving it is something that can happen to any motorist. The more prepared you are for this situation though, the less troublesome it should be dealing with it, should it ever happen.
Because car breakdowns are usually a sudden thing, and can occur in awkward places, there may be some things which motorists fail to consider when reacting to the situation, putting themselves and others in more danger than necessary.
Here we go through five things you should remember to avoid if you’re ever in a situation when your car breaks down.
DON’T try and make your own repairs at the side of the road
Perhaps you have a handy tool kit for your car which you like to take with you when travelling. If you know how to make use of them, tool kits can be really useful for sorting out certain issues with your car.
But even if you're a wizard with your tool kit, you should think carefully about the location before breaking it out after a breakdown. If your car breaks down, something you’ll want to do is to stop your car somewhere off the road, but it’s likely that you’ll still be located close to the road itself.
Unless you’re able to put your car some place where it’s flat, smooth and a fair distance from the public road, trying to work on your vehicle is ill-advised. It’s better to leave the work to the breakdown service you contact.
You’re simply taking an unnecessary risk if you let yourself be distracted with work on your car while located right next to a road where other cars could speed by.
DON’T get out of the car if you’re stuck on the road
When you realise your car is breaking down, you’ll want to get off the road as quickly (but also safely) as you can. If the breakdown is sudden enough though, you may find yourself stuck on the road, rather than to the side of it or on the hard shoulder.
If this happens, then it’s unfortunate but not something to panic over. You can still put on your hazard lights and contact emergency services while in your car.
Getting out of your broken down car while still on the road is a bad idea though, as you may not be seen by other cars which are on the same road as you and may be trying to get around your broken down vehicle.
DON’T rely purely on hazard lights if it’s dark, raining or foggy
It’s standard procedure that when your car breaks down and you’ve come to a stop, you want to make other road users visibly aware of your situation.
During the day, your hazard lights plus possibly a warning triangle may suffice, but this may not be enough to help other drivers if visibility is hampered by things like the night time, heavy rain or fog. Therefore, some other road users may end up approaching your broken down car a lot faster than is safe because they were caught out by it.
If visibility isn’t that great then, leave your car’s sidelights on in addition to your hazard lights.
DON’T use a warning triangle if you’re on the motorway
If you have a warning triangle in your car, if it can be a useful way of making yourself more visible to other drivers should your car breakdown. One place you definitely shouldn’t use this though is on the motorway.
They should only be used on the road, and even then only when it’s convenient and safe to do so. If you do use it, place it at 45m (50 yards) behind your car. For more advice on what to do if you breakdown on the motorway, check out this guide.
DON’T bring any pets out of the car
If you have any animals with you in the car when its breaks down, it’s best to keep them in the vehicle while waiting for breakdown service to arrive. This especially applies if your car is stuck on the motorway. The last thing you want is your pet possibly running across a busy carriageway.
Even if you’re on a quiet road, it’s safer just to keep your pet in the car, as it and any other drivers may suddenly be caught out should it stray onto the tarmac.