Few road travelers expect to break down unexpectedly miles from assistance. Yet flat tires, dead batteries or mechanical issues can quickly escalate from annoyances into life-threatening hazards without proper preparation. Protect yourself using simple beginner roadside safety fundamentals until help arrives to get you rolling safely again.
Pack an Emergency Kit
Carry a well-stocked emergency kit accessible from the driver’s seat, not just a jumbled mess buried deep in your trunk. Include reliable gear to uplift safety if immobilized roadside like reflective triangles or flares, first aid supplies, non-perishable snacks, flashlight, road maps and basic tools. The good folk at Clore Automotive recommend tailoring your safety kit by adding a car booster jump starter during cold months or extra water for desert travel based on regional driving hazards.
Keep Your Vehicle in Top Shape
Everyone knows that having an emergency kit available is really important. Nonetheless, preventing breakdowns in the first place should be the priority. To that end, regular vehicle maintenance checks can go a long way when it comes to ensuring roadside safety. You should follow the recommended service schedules for oil changes, tire rotations, and other routine maintenance tasks. Also inspect your vehicle regularly for any potential issues. Think things like low tire pressure, fluid leaks, or worn-out parts. Addressing these problems as soon as possible can help avoid sudden breakdowns on the road and hence reduce the risk of finding yourself in a dangerous situation.
Have a Communication Plan
Ensure you have a way to call for assistance by keeping a charged mobile phone, spare portable charger, and important contact numbers in your emergency kit. For areas with poor cell signal, consider a two-way radio or satellite communicator. Have a plan to share your precise location, whether through GPS coordinates or descriptions of landmarks and mile markers. Reliable communication is crucial for summoning help promptly during a breakdown.
Park Well Away from Traffic
Focus first upon removing your vehicle from the path of passing cars and trucks bearing down at high speeds. Look for level ground offering a straight, unobstructed path well away from the roadway for parking once momentum carries you there.
A clear line of approach avoids needing complex steering or pushing over obstacles to safety once halted. Pick areas without waterways, steep embankments or other immobilizing features nearby into which stalled cars could slip or roll.
Set Out Warning Devices
With your vehicle stationery in a safer spot, immediately set out road flares or warning triangles behind it to alert other drivers of your stranded status. This alerts speeding motorists to steer clear while maintaining visibility far in advance of your actual position.
Position them to the rear by at least 100 feet, or approximately 10-20 seconds driving distance at highway speeds. Doing so gives motorists critical extra seconds to process and initiate safe maneuvers instead of reacting last-second with disastrous outcomes.
Wait Safely Inside Cabin
Stay securely buckled inside your locked vehicle with the engine off once roadside unless the area remains clearly visible on approach roads in all directions. Lingering outside amid speeding vehicles, wildlife and unstable weather dangerously exposes you and any passengers to secondary incidents.
Monitor the mirrors vigilantly, however, and be prepared to exit and signal for assistance if another motorist veers unexpectedly toward your parked vehicle despite precautions. Rely upon the extensive steel safety cage and restraint systems protecting occupants while awaiting help from within. But stay alert to quickly evacuate if circumstances warrant.
Conclusion
Equipping and positioning yourself using basic best practices minimizes risks when the unthinkable stall or collision traps you vulnerable alongside active roads. Make safety preparations instinctual through education rather than panicking during road adversities. Then confidently stabilize challenging scenarios more safely as a beginner driver until aid arrives.
