With the car packed, the kids busily occupying themselves for the short or long drive ahead, a family holiday on the road is a common vacation type for many.
However, if you suddenly find smoke coming from the bonnet or the engine dies, that can put a real dampener on the vacation before it’s even had a chance to begin.
A breakdown brings a lot of unique stress, especially if you’re already far away from home and perhaps managing some now restless passengers.
Knowing how to handle a vehicle breakdown will ensure it keeps your family safe, reduces stress levels, and protects your holiday budget.
Immediate Safety Protocols (The First 10 Minutes)
In those first ten minutes, there are several steps to ensure you and your car passengers are kept safe.
Move to safety
Pull off as far from the road as possible, ideally in a spot where you are safe from any oncoming traffic.
Signal danger
It’s best to turn on your hazard warning lights immediately. If it’s dark or foggy, then you should keep your side lights on so that your vehicle is easily seen.
Exit the vehicle
On busy highways, you’ll want to exit the car through the passenger-side doors. Look at moving your family or passengers behind any safety barriers and well away from any moving traffic.
Visibility check
Be sure to put on high-visibility vests if you have them and don’t attempt to make any repairs yourself when you’re on a live and busy road.
Calling for Professional Help
To address the problem of a breakdown, you’ll want to call in professional help. First and foremost, identify your location so that the engineer heading your way can find you quickly.
Contact a breakdown service and check your own insurance to see which one you’re covered with. Make sure to mention you have family members, emphasising young children being present if you have them, as this can often prioritize your call out faster. In some cases, towing might be necessary to get your car off the road where it’s no longer working.
Managing the Kids on the Roadside
Children will often look to parents for cues, so it’s good to keep yourself calm. Keeping your voice level will help prevent the group from panicking.
An emergency grab-bag is good to organize. This is a pre-packed bag from the cabin that contains snacks and essentials to keep everyone hydrated, fed, and occupied whilst help arrives.
Salvaging the Vacation Logistics
To help salvage the remainder of the vacation, alert the destination you were heading towards to let them know you’re delayed. Review the rental options that are available, so that if needed, a courtesy vehicle can be organized as soon as possible.
Prioritize Roadside Safety With Better Understanding
Breakdowns are a big inconvenience, but prioritizing roadside safety is one that should be understood in order to tackle it effectively should it ever happen to you on the road.