Understanding Emergency Protocol

Preparing For Travel Season Emergencies

3 June 2015

Eevi Annala

Heading out on the road provides a unique set of challenges in an emergency. Long stretches of road and unfamiliar towns can be difficult and sometimes expensive if you need to be towed, be repaired or get in contact with someone who can help. Before driving long distances and assuming the continued health of your vehicle, consider preparing a few backup plans and safety techniques that could help during a roadside emergency.

Preparing A Mobile Device Emergency Plan

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers have become a big part of everyday life, and they bring some valuable advantages in an emergency.

The most basic benefit is the ability to call emergency services. This is good if you're within cellular service range, but if you're unable to get a signal in a more remote area, you may want to rely on a few other features.

Most mobile devices come with a map program or app. To find your location, the device must be able to communicate with a global positioning system (GPS) satellite network, which may not be available in remote areas as well. Fortunately, if you drive with the mobile mapping app on, your location can be guessed by the last place that allowed phone or GPS access.

With this information, you can look for the nearest emergency services. Instead of guessing the location of the nearest town or rest area, you can use the map to at least go in the right direction.

If you're able to get any kind of signal while searching for assistance, stop walking or driving immediately. Try to make a call, send a text message or update your location as soon as possible. It may be worth packing a few extra batteries for your mobile device, since running location apps and maintaining access can consume battery life quickly.

Conserving battery power may seem like a more viable option--and is a better idea if you have help on the way--but having a day or two in backup battery power can help you take charge of the situation.

Getting Extra Distance After Moderate Car Failures

Flat tires, overheating and loss of battery power are a few common problems that lead to stranded vehicles on long drives. Make sure to pack a few recovery tools that can at least get you into civilization or a better towing situation.

Jumper cables are a must for any trip, but consider getting a car charger with an air compressor installed. If there's no one around to give your car a boost in the event of a dead battery, the charger can be used to boost your battery while the air compressor can pump up a flat tire if necessary. The higher the air compressor airflow PSI (pounds per square inch), the faster your tire can inflate.

Make sure to bring a few containers of water and coolant/antifreeze for the radiator in case of engine overheating. Try to pull over immediately and allow your vehicle to cool before attempting to add any coolant; the wait time can be spent reviewing your vehicle manual for the proper and safe way to open a radiator (which can be dangerous if you do it wrong) and how to properly add the liquids.

Try to avoid using your own tap water. Get a few cheap gallon jugs of filtered or distilled water from a supermarket or pharmacy along with a funnel only for water and coolant.

Even if you prepare as much as possible, your car still runs the risk of failing completely on the road. As you double check your road safety inventory, give a call to a towing service to figure out their hours and availability in your travel area. For more information, contact a company like Darryll's Towing.

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