What to do if you have a Roadside Emergency
No one wants to have a roadside emergency, and yet they can happen to anyone and everyone. The first important thing to do is to remain calm. No matter what the situation is you will handle it best if you are thinking rationally and not panicked. The exact reaction will of course depend on the emergency but you should consider the following.
Call for help
If you have a significant emergency like a car accident or some medical emergency you will want to call 911 immediately. In some of these emergencies, a matter of a few minutes can make a difference and you want them to get started to you right away. If there are multiple people in the car, then make sure you direct a particular person to do it because otherwise everyone might assume that someone else did. When they are talking they need to remember to give their exact location. When you call from a land line the authorities will usually be able to trace it and come right to you, however on a cell phone they may not know where you are.
If you have broken down or it is not quite an emergency to call for an ambulance or the police then you might want to call right away for roadway assistance from a place like AAA.
Find a safe place to stop
If you can, you want to stop in as safe a place as possible. Obviously this cannot always be helped such as if you get into a car accident, but you do not want to stop somewhere where you then get hit by another car right away and have something worse happen.
It is important that you get personally into a safe place if your car can't be in one. For instance, if you have no choice but to pull over right in the middle of the road, you do not want to be right next to your car as other cars are whizzing by. If you can easily walk to a sidewalk (without going across traffic) then this might be useful. Oftentimes they recommend staying in your car.
If your car is in trouble such as if there is a fire, then don't kill yourself trying to save your car. At times the best thing to do is to get away in a safe way to a safe spot.
Let others know you are there
You may want to put out a help sign if you need help and have one. You may also have some road flares or other devices that can help people see you.
Take steps to deal with the emergency
If it is a medical emergency then get out your medical kit and follow the instructions per the 911 operator. If you feel competent and are in a safe spot then you can try to make a repair like changing a tire, but if not wait for an auto club.
You want to take the right steps in a roadside emergency to provide the best possible outcome for yourself and your passengers.
