Tips To Keep In Mind While Your Vehicle Is Being Towed

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If your car breaks down on the side of the road, you may need to call a local tow truck company that provides emergency towing. When the tow company arrives, follow their advice to get your vehicle off the road quickly and easily. With that said, make sure you also keep these tips in mind so that you don't create a dangerous situation or more work for the tow truck.

Keep the Vehicle Turned On If Possible

Unless your car is completely dead, you want the vehicle's ignition to be in an on position. This will allow the engine to continue to tick over so that the brakes will continue to work in your vehicle. Make sure the wheel is not locked, and have the wheels pointed in the direction the tow truck will be pulling it before the tow truck arrives.

Stay Neutral

The employee from the towing company will likely instruct you on this, but if you are going to stay inside your vehicle while it is being towed, make sure that your transmission stays in neutral 100 percent of the time. Be careful not to bump the shift stick while the vehicle is moving. Accidentally putting it into park while the vehicle is being towed will make the tow truck's job much more difficult and may even cause damage.

Know When to Call It a Day

If your vehicle needed towed because it ended up on the side of the road during a snowstorm or other very poor conditions, take stock of the situation before and during the tow. Tow trucks can handle bad roads, but if the situation is getting truly out of hand, there is no shame in just waiting out the storm. If the roads are incredibly icy, keep your tow as short as possible. If your vehicle was just stuck and not broken down completely, consider just asking the tow truck driver to take your vehicle to a nearby parking lot, and then simply wait for the road conditions to improve instead of heading back out on the road. The last thing you want is to have to call the emergency towing company a second time on the same day.

In order to prepare your car for an emergency tow, make sure the ignition is left in the on position so that the engine can continue to turn over. If you are riding in the vehicle while it's being towed, make sure the transmission stays in neutral. If road conditions are bad, there's no shame in simply waiting out the storm instead of trying to force an emergency tow across icy roads. Contact a company like Larry Menz Towing Services Inc for more tips.

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11 June 2015

planning for roadside emergencies during road trips

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