We all have experienced things deciding not to work when we need them; computers, phones, pens, iPods but the most annoying has to be when your car decides that it doesn’t want to go anywhere. When your car breaks down it is usually in the worst place possible and miles away from the closest garage. It’s easy to joke around about how we have all had problems with our cars but the reality is that a car breakdown is not nice and can be dangerous!
It is absolutely essential to know what to do and how to protect anyone else that you are with, the last thing you want to happen is for anyone to get hurt or even do more damage to your car. With any luck you will have breakdown cover so you don’t have to deal with the situation by yourself. There was only one time when I didn’t have breakdown cover; I guess you could say that I learnt the hard way on that particular day on the outskirts of Paris. That lesson taught me never to leave home without cover in the UK and also to invest in AA European breakdown cover.
Right then, back to the serious stuff about what to do whilst you are waiting for your knight in shining armour to arrive from the company that you have breakdown cover with.
Get off the road
If you can should always push your car to the side of the road. Put the handbrake on and make sure that your steering wheel is in the opposite way to the road, this will make sure that the car doesn’t accidentally roll into the traffic.
Call for help
Make sure you have the breakdown cover company’s number saved in your mobile and written down somewhere in your car so you can use a public phone if the phone’s battery has died. You always wonder why you pay that monthly bill for the cover and then when you breakdown I promise you that you would happily pay double!
Hit the hazards
You need to help others to see you, so as soon as you can hit the hazard lights. This will make sure that cars slow down and avoid your car. If you have one, not all of us do, put one of the hazard triangle signs about 20 meters behind your car.
