Maybe you parked off of the side of the road a little too far and now your wheel is just spinning around, throwing snow, sand or mud everywhere… Or you were driving on the beach and hit a soft patch of sand… Or you parked at the campground just fine, but it snowed or rained heavily overnight and now you are stuck… What can you do?
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Safety First!
Tips for when broken down near or in traffic lanes
Make sure other drivers see you and move over!
Watching for traffic and being seen is vital to your safety. Be sure to have and wear safety vests if you are out of your car. Position warning reflectors, road flares, flashing warning lights or orange cones to warn traffic to move over.
Grandpa TJ: It has been my experience that during daylight hours, people will see and react faster to orange road cones than most any other signaling device! Even the small ones sold as Soccer Training Cones (10 for $14).
I believe it is because they are a familiar sight to drivers when they are around road construction. They know that cones mean that they need to move over.
What are your choices? Pros and Cons
Pros: Easy to do. If they can get to you, a tow truck will should be able to pull your car out of most situations.
Cons: It may take a long while for it to arrive, especially if it is late at night. Unless you have insurance that covers towing, it will be expensive! Not a good choice if you are on a tight budget.
Pros: Faster and cheaper than getting a tow truck.
Cons: Friends may have the best of intentions but they can sometimes make very expensive mistakes when trying to help.
Pros: You don’t have to wait for someone with the right tools to get to you.
Cons: Some of the methods to getting unstuck require a fair amount of time, physical labor and the right tools.