What to do following a car breakdown
When you are shopping around for the best car insurance quote, it is well worth taking into account any little "extras" that might come with a motor insurance policy.
For example, if you love the cheap car insurance quote you get from duck2water Car Insurance Services, you might find it even more appealing when you find out that you could get low price cover from one of the leading breakdown assistance companies too.
Breakdown cover is a must-have for many motorists. It is reassuring to know that you are covered if should anything go wrong with your car while you are out and about, as you don't want to be stuck at the side of the road.
At best, a breakdown is simply an inconvenience which may interrupt your day and make you late for an appointment. At worst, it may leave your car stranded at the edge of a dangerous road which puts it at risk of being hit by other vehicles. When you have broken down, the last thing you want is to have mechanical problems compounded by a car accident which could cost you dear in terms of future car insurance quotes.
We have put together a guide on what to do following a car breakdown so that you can do all you can to prevent an accident and stay safe.
Motorway and dual carriageway breakdowns
If something goes wrong with your car when you are driving on a fast road such as a motorway or dual carriageway, it can be a potentially very dangerous situation.
The first thing you should do, if possible, is to guide your car over to the hard shoulder and come to a stop off the carriageway. This way you should be out the way of most vehicles on the road and there is less chance that another motorist will collide with your car. If you are on a dual carriageway and there is not much of a hard shoulder, park as much off the road as you can.
The next thing to do is to put your hazard warning lights on, as well as your lights if the conditions are poor or it is dark. The further away other road users can see your car from, the longer they will have to react and take safe and appropriate action to avoid your car.
You and any passengers you have should then exit your car via the passenger-side door. If you get out on the traffic side, you may cause an additional hazard when you open your car door and you put yourself at more risk of being hit by a motorist who has failed to notice your vehicle.
Many people carry mobile phones with them these days, which makes it easy to call for assistance in the event of a car breakdown. However, if you do not have one or there is no signal, you may have to find a public phone. If you have broken down on a motorway, there should be an emergency telephone nearby - simply follow marker posts to find the closest one. It is never advisable to cross the carriageway, as you could put yourself at great danger by doing so.
It is helpful if you can have as much information to hand as possible, including your exact location, your car make, model and registration number, the number of passengers in your car, and the membership details of any breakdown organisations you belong to. If you know the reason your car has broken down, this may also be of help.
Once you have telephoned for assistance, all there is to do is wait for it to arrive. Even if it is pouring with rain and standing around outside doesn't seem a pleasant prospect, you are better off waiting out of your car rather than inside it. Unfortunately many people are injured and killed each year when their cars are shunted by drivers who have either failed to notice or been unable to avoid them.
The only possible exception to this would be if you feel that it would be more dangerous to get out the car, such as if you believe you are being followed. In this case you should sit in the passenger seat of the vehicle, lock the doors and put your seatbelt on. However, these are very rare circumstances and leaving your car until help arrives is generally the much safer option.
Great value car insurance quotes at duck2water
When you get a car insurance quote from duck2water and select breakdown cover as an optional extra, you have peace of mind that you will be covered should something go wrong with your car.
We are proud to be able to offer our customers some of the cheapest car insurance quotes around and equally so of the fact we are able to do so without skimping on service. Instead, we cut down on marketing and running costs so that you get a fantastic product but at a lower cost than with many of our competitors. We also use telematics technology as standard to enable us to offer lower premiums to careful, low-mileage drivers.
We know that you probably have a million and one things to get done so we make it really quick to get a car insurance quote from us. Simply click the "quote me quick" button, answer a few simple questions and within a few minutes you should have a great value car insurance quote on your screen.
Many of our customers find they save £££s with duck2water Car Insurance Services so why wait? Get a free car insurance quote now.