For all drivers, the moment where your car begins to exhibits signs of an incoming break down can be a truly frightening moment. This is especially so if you are driving at high speed, are in the middle of traffic or in hazardous conditions.
Being Mentally Prepared For An Emergency
No matter how well you regard your driving skill, your ability to retain control of your car may be easily stripped away. Furthermore, even with regular maintenance, there is a possibility that an unforeseen situation emerges.
Since there is no fool proof method to prevent a break down, you should be mentally prepared at all times for an emergency. This involves being familiar with the procedure to follow once your car shows symptoms of a breakdown, staying calm, and executing the steps.
In this article, we provide a 3-step guide to abide to, ensuring the safety of yourself and of other drivers in the vicinity.
Step 1: Moving Your Car To Safety
Whether you hear loud sounds coming from your engine or find that your brake has become faulty, your first job is to get to safety. This includes:
- Not ignoring the issue! Some drivers may be inclined to hope for the best and to keep on driving. Instead, you should be prepared to find the cause or to get help for your car.
- Turning on the hazard lights to alert all drivers to give you space and to be aware that you are facing issues with the car.
- Being patient and waiting for sufficient room to be cleared on the adjacent lane if you are not on the outer most lane prior to the issues popping up.
- Diverting the car onto a road shoulder or side of the road so that you do not obstruct traffic and can safely exit the vehicle later.
The 3 steps mentioned here are designed to get yourself to safety without endangering the lives of other drivers.
Step 2:
Once you have reached a safe spot and brought your car to a stop, you can begin inspecting your car. Begin with your dashboard to check for the sensors’ status of your fuel, battery and engine.
Next, you will have to exit your car to perform a manual inspection of your car. This may include your wheels and lifting the hood of your car to access the battery.
While performing this, you should be wary that you are still on the road and need to take precaution against oncoming cars. We recommend that you place the hazard triangle several meters in front and behind your car in order to give yourself buffer space.
Step 3:
If all attempts to restart your car fails, you should engage a towing service to help bring your car to a nearby workshop. Even if you are able to restart your car, we recommend that you stick to the outer most lane and proceed to a workshop immediately for a proper diagnosis.