Foxy Lady
Drivers Club
Top Ten Car Breakdown Tips
Cars break down in the summer as well as in the winter, letting us down in traffic queues, on motorways, en route to important business meetings and when driving back from the local supermarket with young children in tow (and often a bootfull of frozen food).
To survive what is always a stressful motoring experience, here are FOXY’s Top Ten Tips with your personal safety at the top of the agenda at all times.
1. Be prepared – always carry a fully charged mobile phone containing telephone numbers of emergency contacts, a local map, a first aid kit and hi-visibility clothing. Include food, drink, suitable footwear and blankets during the winter and whenever heading off the beaten track.
2. Stop somewhere safe – given enough warning, drop your speed, switch on your hazard lights and where possible either turn off a main road or pull over on a straight stretch of road.
3. Wherever possible, always exit a motorway rather than pull up on the hard shoulder. When absolutely unavoidable, use the hard shoulder and try to stop near an emergency phone, parking with your wheels turned to the left ie away from the traffic.
4. Leave the car by the passenger door side. Anything within half a metre of the white line on a hard shoulder/lay could be struck by passing traffic.
5. Display your emergency triangle at least 45 meters behind your car (BUT NOT ON MOTORWAYS)
6. Don’t wait in the car on a motorway, busy main road or dual carriageway. Even if it is raining, get all occupants out as you are at risk of being hit from the rear or involved in an accident. Wait in a safe place away from traffic – if necessary climb up an embankment and over any crash barrier.
7. NEVER attempt to repair a car by a busy roadside.
8. NEVER attempt to retrieve lost loads or tyres from busy roads/motorways.
9. NEVER cross motorway lanes.
10. Ask your breakdown insurer/contact to keep you informed of rescue progress and to give you a contact name and number in case you have any concerns while waiting. Most breakdown services use the same network of UK recovery agents so it’s reassuring to know the name of the one that has been authorised to rescue you.
Needless to say, prevention is always better than cure and a well maintained car is not just safer but it’s much less likely to break down too. Always make sure your car is well fuelled and get your battery checked before winter time because more than half of all cold-weather car breakdowns are caused by flat batteries.
FOXY ADVICE – when shopping for breakdown insurance cover for women drivers, aim to pay a maximum of £30 for a basic recovery service and be sure to study and compare the small print. When it comes to renewal time, check again as some of the leading names may try to use this as their opportunity to claw back their initial discounted offer.
FOXY Lady Drivers Club | 35 Goring Road | Steyning BN44 3GF
Tel: 01903 879988 | Email: info@foxyladydrivers.com
Highly Commended, Brake’s Road Safety in the Community Award, 2009
Winner, Home Business Awards, 2008
Regional Finalist, HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards, 2007
Runner Up, The Daily Telegraph’s Trailblazers’ Business Awards, 2006
Small Business Award Winner, SAGA Magazine, 2005
See above for correspondence address. FOXY Drivers Limited, trading as FOXY Choice and FOXY Lady Drivers Club, is registered in England & Wales No 5071266 and registered for VAT, number 841 3841 35.
