5 Amazing TIPS That Will Help You Stay Safe When Your Car Breaks Down

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.

Heading out on a road trip for the holidays? These are the tips you need to know in case your car breaks down! Hint: One of them is downloading Good Hands Rescue® App!

With the holidays getting closer by the second, more of us are spending time on the road. Whether you’re traveling to friends and family for a feast or taking a much-needed break from your daily lives to get away from it all, chances are you’ll be hopping in your car for a road trip this season! While we all hope we make it to our destination without any issues, as someone who has dealt with breakdowns way more often than I’d like to admit, I know that sometimes our cars have other plans.

Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite tips for staying safe when your car breaks down, plus some information about an app that you’ll definitely want to download before you hit the road: Allstate’s Good Hands Rescue® app!

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Staying safe when your car breaks down

Get to safety & make sure other drivers can see you

The first thing you need to do when your car breaks down is make sure that you’re either safely off the road or extremely visible to other drivers. If you can, try to drive or coast your car onto the shoulder of the road. Put on your emergency blinkers and pop your hood (it’s a universal sign for “my car is broken right now”).

Download the Good Hands Rescue® App!

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While I recommend downloading the app before you hit the road, if you do suddenly find yourself broken down and don’t already have it, head to the App store or Google Play on your phone and get Allstate’s Good Hands Rescue® app. It’s going to help you so much with every other tip here! The app is completely free to download and you don’t need to be an Allstate customer to use it. You only pay for services that you use.

 

Call for help

Once your car is safely off the road (or in a position where others can see you without crashing into you), call for help right away. Don’t get out of your car and try to fix it yourself. Especially since I can get help right away and even let them know which tire needs replacing by using the Good Hands Rescue® app.

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With just the push of a few buttons, you can let Allstate know whether you need fuel delivered, a jump start, a tire change or even just help getting back into your car! Hey, you’d be surprised how many times I’ve almost locked my keys in because I was so overwhelmed with other things!

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Another great thing about the app is that it can track your location through the GPS in your phone. That way, you don’t have to try to remember what mile marker or landmark you passed most recently or try to give someone directions when you’re stressed out. I’m notoriously bad at giving directions under the best circumstances, let alone when I’m broken down on the side of the road and in panic mode.

Alert your friends and family

Once you’re safe & secure and help is on the way, call someone to let them know what happened. Not only does this prevent your friends and family from worrying about you, it’s just a good idea to make sure someone knows where you are in case your phone dies.

Fortunately, this is super easy with the Good Hands Rescue® app! You can send an alert easily with a few clicks.

Learn from your “mistakes”

I’ve learned from my breakdowns over the years. Before I take a road trip, I make sure my oil is fresh, my fluids are filled and my tires are properly inflated. While you can’t predict or prevent every type of breakdown, doing a little road trip prep on your car can save you from heartache on your journey. Trust me, it’s worth taking the extra time and spending a few extra dollars now to make sure you arrive safely!

I hope that all of your journeys are safe, fun and uneventful (in the good way!) this holiday season. However, should something come up and you find yourself on the side of the road with a car that just won’t go any further, following these tips will help keep you stay safer while you wait for assistance to arrive.

I highly recommend getting Allstate’s Good Hands Rescue® app. As much as I hope you never have to use it, it’s like an extra layer of security for those road trips!

Download the Good Hands Rescue® app in the App Store or Google Play now!

30 thoughts on “5 Amazing TIPS That Will Help You Stay Safe When Your Car Breaks Down”

  1. Keep a blanket in the trunk or in the back. Never know if you’ll have to bare the cold or protect yourself from rain or something.

  2. Terri Alexander

    With travelling sure to increase this time of year, these are some timely tips. Thanks for sharing.

  3. What a great app! I am thankful that I have OnStar so when my car breaks down, depending on what it is, they are either notified right away or I can reach out to them. This is great for those in cars who do not have this option.

  4. It is smart to alert friends and family. Any precautions you can take to stay safe while you wait for help, should def. be taken!

  5. These is really great tips for people who have car. These one is very helpful to us nice idea and nice thing!

  6. I definitely need the Good Hand app, One of my biggest fears on the road is breaking down and getting stranded with the kids. This sounds like a real life saver!

  7. Pam Wattenbarger

    I could have used this app yesterday. Our car battery died in a parking lot, three hours from home, in the rain.

  8. That is pretty awesome! I love that there’s now a way to get help when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere! It’s definitely useful!

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