We drive because we want to get from A to B without any serious issues or problems, but it doesn’t always work out like that. Every time you get into your car there is a risk of something going wrong. However, many of the things that could go wrong can be prepared for in advance so that it isn’t nearly so much of a crisis for you. Although this isn’t true of all issues you’re likely to face driving – so make sure you always have a cell phone to contact the emergency services if you need to, and make sure you’re able to deal with more basic problems yourself. Read on to find out how to survive five of the most Common Motoring Crises.

A Flat Tire

You can probably recall when it was explained and demonstrated to you – you remember, it was freezing and you were standing with your hands in your pockets, nodding and claiming you understood – but you don’t need to change a Tire very often, so it is difficult to remember exactly how to change a car tire. However, if you have to rely on calling somebody out then this could take a lot longer to fix than it needs to. Here’s a quick run through the basics of changing a tire.

Make sure you’re parked on level ground and your handbrake is firmly on. The second step is to place bricks or rocks either side of the wheels you aren’t working on to ensure the car doesn’t move while you’re underneath it. Then you should fit the jack into grooves on the bottom side of the car – your jack should fit the gap – and you can jack up the car. Next you need to take off the hubcaps and use a wrench to undo the wheel nuts, and when you’re done the wheel should pull off. It’s advised that you put the flat tire down underneath the car just in case of a jack failure. Now, you can take the spare wheel out of the trunk, and it should slide on. Do up the nuts as tight as you can with the wrench, put the hubcap back on, lower the car back down, and you should be all set to drive away.

Just remember not to speed in order to make up for any lost time, or you could experience another motoring crisis before you get to work.

Mud or Snow

There are many ways to end up with an immobile car due to mud or snow; you might be unable to dig your car out of all the snow on the drive, you might come off the road, or you might get stuck in wet mud if you’re trying to navigate a long driveway farm track.

However it happens, it’s rarely an amusing experience. You should have a shovel in the car for this kind of emergency, but even if you have one you might still struggle to get yourself out. More valuable than a shovel, and more essential to keep in your vehicle, are the contact details of a reliable towing service like www.edmtowing.ca. If you live in an area where mud and snow are a problem, don’t go anywhere without these details- particularly in winter. At least with snow you can keep up to date with the weather reports to ensure you’re always ready when it comes.

Out of Gas

In an ideal situation (well, not ideal) you’ll know the road you’ve run out of gas on and you’ll know where the nearest garage, and if you’re really lucky then it’ll only be about a mile on the road. However, you’re rarely so lucky when you’re having a motoring crisis. You’ll often find that if something can go wrong, it will. You could just as easily run out of gas when you’re in a completely new area on a road that looks dangerous to walk down – this can be a tough call because you don’t want to get run over, but it’s also dangerous to stay in an immobile car if it’s a busy road.

Firstly, make sure you keep a flashlight in the car, as this will make walking much safer. Also, remember, the best way to prepare for this in advance and have the option to call that towing services number. Most of them will be more than happy to help.

Locked Out

Have you ever locked yourself out of your car at the worst possible moment? Don’t do anything silly like trying to break into your own car – you don’t want to get cut on glass or caught up trying to explain to a police officer that really it is your car. This is another situation where if you’ve thought about it in advance you don’t have nearly as much to fear.

Towing services can also help with this one too– so maybe it’s worth keeping a copy of their details in the house as well as the car. It’s a common problem, and if you call the right people then it could be over in no time.

A Crash

There’s no easy solution here. Car crashes happen, and they can be awful. If you’re injured you need the hospital, and the same goes for the driver of the other vehicle. If you’re both okay (though perhaps a little shaken) then you’ll have to swap insurance details. Try not to get too angry with the other driver, and avoid trying to sort out who is to blame there and then, you do not want to accept liability in the confusion of the conversation. You’re both likely to be shaken and in need of support, so assure both yourself and the other person that the very first priority is both of your health.

It might be that only your cars are a little damaged, in which case you should be able to repair a punctured tire to drive home with – though you shouldn’t attempt to drive your car once it’s been in an accident in case you do further damage. If this is the case then you’ll be glad you took such care over keeping the details of a towing service.  

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