Car breakdowns are common in a country like UAE where excess of heat, humidity, sandstorms and dust can contribute in getting your car out of order. Car breakdowns can occur due to a number of reasons including the malfunctioning of your car’s battery, engine getting damaged due to overheating, tyres’ burst out or an electrical failure of the vehicle. Having a sudden car breakdown midway on your journey can be seriously bad and often causes panic but that is what you need to avoid. You need to stay calm and not lose your focus. Even experienced drivers do not handle such situations sensibly at times and for a novice, it becomes even more difficult.
You must not forget to do the following things whenever you face a sudden car breakdown on the highway.
Take Your Car to a Roadside
Even if your car breaks down in the middle of a highway it would still have enough life that you can take it to a roadside. Never get out of the car on a busy highway to avoid a potential collision with a vehicle. The number of run-over accidents has increased in the UAE recently so you must be cautious about it. You should stay inside the car, take it slowly to a roadside and then get out of your car. You also need to turn-on the emergency/hazard lights of your car to let others on the road know that your car has faced a breakdown. Once you take your car on a roadside, pull the emergency brake so your car becomes stationary. In this way, you can avoid your car getting crashed into other vehicles on road after breaking down.
Also read: 5 Easy Ways to Save your Car from Breaking Down This Summer
Make other Drivers aware of your Trouble
Turning on the hazard lights is one way to tell others that you are in trouble but that does not make your situation clear to them. You should get out of the car after taking it to a roadside and should ask for help from other drivers or just raise bonnet of your car to let others know that you are in trouble with your car. Immediate help from some experienced driver/a mechanic passing by or someone who knows a mechanic nearby will help you get out of trouble fast.
Call Someone to Help You
With over 2.6 billion smartphone users around the world at present, you ought to be the one with a smartphone. If yes, then there is no better time than now to call your best buddy, someone from your family or a mechanic you know to help you with this situation. Do it early so that someone reaches you quickly for help.
Don’t go Overboard with Your Own Mechanical Skills
There are drivers who are used to of situations where they find themselves in trouble with their cars. This gives them the patience and experience to deal with such circumstances and they can even try to repair the car on their own. Unless, you are one of them, never go for the car repair by yourself. Not everyone knows the mechanical complexities of a car and you might do further damage to your vehicle. If breakdown has occurred due to a tyre burst out, then you can change the tyre yourself but only if you have done it before. Tinkering with your car without having prior experience of it can certainly aggravate your trouble.
Stay with Your Car and Wait for Help
Now as you have already made an effort and called for help, you need to wait for it with patience. You must not go anywhere leaving your car on a roadside because the mechanic or someone else whom you have called for help won’t be able to help you out if, on their arrival, you are not found with your car. You must be there to tell about your car to the one who comes out for help.
Beware of the Strangers
Not everyone will come to help you with honest intentions and that is what you need to be aware of. The best practice is to sit inside the car with its doors locked and wait for the help you have called for. If a stranger comes to help, slide down your car windows and ask them to call Police or a nearby mechanic to help you with your car. If the stranger claims to be good with technical help, you can open car’s bonnet and pass instructions (if required) from inside the car.
Learn from Your Experiences
You must learn from what you have faced in terms of the breakdown of your car. The next time you pack your bags for a long journey, keep your car well-prepared for it. It is always advised to have a complete mechanical checkup of your car before going out for family travels and long journeys. The air pressure and health of tyres must be checked before leaving. The engine coolant level and level of water in the radiator must also be checked so that you have a hassle-free journey. In any unfortunate condition where despite all the preparations, your car breaks down, don’t forget to do everything that is discussed already in this reading.
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