If you remain applauded during a journey, you should not lose your temper and know how to behave, an error could have serious consequences. These are potentially dangerous situations, especially if in the dark of the evening or night, the reflective vest is necessary for safety, often dealing with non-illuminated sections and the speed is much higher than the city streets.
- DO NOT MISS THE CALM
Staying stuck is always annoying, even worse if you are traveling with your family and the car loaded with luggage. The first advice is to maintain calm and clarity, we must quickly think about what to do to get in safety and not become a danger to other drivers. So stay calm and try to cheer your passengers, especially if there are children on board, a crisis of collective panic could lead to wrong maneuvers or actions.
- NEVER PUSH THE CAR
If traveling on the highway the car should fail, it will hardly stop suddenly, unless some serious mechanical failure. If the car is switched off during the march, we use the embrace to reach or get as close as possible to the emergency lane or if possible, an emergency stop. Never get out of the car with the intent to push it, it would put at risk their own and others’ safety. Better turn on the four arrows, take cover behind the guardrail (always come down from the right side of the car and pay attention to the viaducts) and signal to the cars that come along the possible roadway occupied by the damaged vehicle.
- HIGH VISIBILITY VEST
When it is necessary to get off the car stationary on the roadway or on the emergency lane and in any case outside the inhabited areas, at night and in conditions of poor visibility, it is compulsory to wear a high visibility vest or reflective shoulder straps. Since the obligation also applies to passengers who have to leave the car temporarily. The jacket must always be worn, even if you plan to get out of the car for a few seconds. The advice, given the low cost of protection, is to keep at least two vests aboard and store them in a place easy to reach, perhaps in the pockets of the doors and one on each side. Failure to comply with the obligation is sanctioned up to € 169 and a reduction of 2 points on the license.
- THE TRIANGLE THIS UNKNOWN
Beyond the reflective vest is mandatory to have on board an approved type triangle. Keep in mind that the triangle is usually stored inside the boot, often in the spare wheel well, so if you travel with a car full of luggage, access is problematic. If you have to leave the car quickly, first you can secure the passengers behind the guardrail and maybe later retrieve it while another passenger, wearing the high visibility vest, acts as a warning to the cars that arrive.
- EMERGING THE ROAD
If our car has stopped during the march, it will be difficult to restart it; it less than being mechanical and having spare parts and tools on board; there are few operations and interventions that we can carry out in the hope of resuming the march. Keep in mind that a car on the edge of the carriageway or in an emergency lane is still a potential hazard and must be removed as soon as possible and in any case within three hours of being stopped.
- CALLING THE ROAD RESCUE
Therefore, you need to call an emergency service and request the dispatch of a tow truck, which will remove the car and allow us to repair in a safer place of the road. Given the costs of the service, it is certainly convenient to take out insurance with one of the many companies that provide the roadside assistance service.
- KNOW YOUR POSITION
When calling the roadside assistance it is essential to know and communicate the exact point where you are with the car. You can take advantage of the progressive hexametrical signs placed on the left side of the roadway, these report every 100 meters kilometers and hundreds of meters (in Roman numbers) traveled from the beginning of the motorway section or missing at the end of the motorway if traveled from the point end. Using a Smartphone, if you are in an area covered by the operator, you can send the rescuers the exact location using the GPS if present in the terminal.
- AUTOSTOP FORBIDDEN
Once you have left the car and if you are traveling alone, you might be tempted to ask another driver for a ride and maybe leave our car with the four arrows and the triangle in place. Know that it is a dangerous mistake and is also prohibited by the Highway Code, to stop a motorist for a ride would create a potentially dangerous situation for traffic and it is easy to imagine the consequences of a rear-end collision.
- PREVENT TROUBLES AND MISCELLANEOUS
A sudden failure can occur on any car, but on a car in perfect working order, the odds are certainly minor. Therefore, it is advisable to check your car carefully, check the levels, the battery efficiency, and proceed with a possible change of oil and filters.
10 A KIT TO KEEP IN CAR
In addition to mandatory signaling devices, it is a good idea to have on board an emergency kit, simple but useful tools that you need to have at your fingertips. The ideal safety kit should include a flashlight with batteries, disposable gloves, battery cables, a set of spare bulbs for the light clusters, a first aid box, a set of tools, of the adhesive tape (it is useful to fix something that has broken in place). It is convenient to equip your car with one or more USB sockets to allow you to charge cell phones if necessary, perhaps taking care to always leave a cable suitable for charging on board.