FREEWAY EMERGENCIES

Many emergencies occur while driving on the freeways.  Whether they are minor to major, a tragic event could be avoided if some simple rules are followed.

The first thing the driver should do is to safely move to the right side of the freeway and pull off onto the shoulder.  Try to get as far away from the traffic lanes as possible to assess the situation.  If it is not possible to move to the right because of mechanical failure, then try to get into the center divider before coming to a stop.  By no means stop in the center of the freeway because most likely, another vehicle will collide into your vehicle.

If your vehicle has mechanical failure and is unable to move, use some of these suggestions to obtain help:

• Call for help on your mobile phone
• Wave to on-coming traffic (at a safe location)
• Place a help/assist flag on your radio antenna
• Use the window shade that has “Call for Help” on the reverse side
• Turn on your emergency flashers

You should never go into traffic lanes to flag down someone for help.

If your vehicle is on fire, move to the right side of the freeway and try to park the vehicle in a paved or gravel area and not in dry grass.  A small vehicle fire could spread into a large wildland fire if you park in a dry grass area.  If you have a fire extinguisher, use it to put out the fire.  A 5 lb. or larger dry chemical fire extinguisher is a useful appliance to carry in the trunk of the vehicle.  If you are not able to extinguish the fire, move away from the vehicle and try to get help by one of the means mentioned above.

Due to the abundance of traffic on the freeways, someone will stop to assist or call for the agency that is needed to help you.  The main thing is to keep calm, use common sense and wait for help.