Roadside safety begins with getting off road

If you spend any time behind the wheel, you know it takes one mistake, one flat tire or one erratic driver to ruin your whole day. But if something does go wrong, experts agree: Do not stop your car on the highway unless you must.

Even for a flat tire.

“It’s hard to imagine and comprehend how fast those cars are going until you’re actually standing there hearing them,” says Lt. Scott Harrington, spokesman for the Kansas Highway Patrol in Topeka. Other drivers “are not paying attention to you. They don’t even move over.”

Highway patrol officers, tow-truck company owners, the American Automobile Association - all recommend driving a disabled vehicle off the highway whenever possible. And if it isn’t possible, pull as far as you can onto the right shoulder, into the grass if you can.

Often, folks don’t do that.

“There have been a lot of towing truck drivers killed over the years because they didn’t have the room to work,” says Gary Petersen, who owns Pete’s Towing Service, in Des Moines, Wash.

Some highways have 5 to 6 feet of shoulder - plenty of space for pulling over.

Harrington recalls stopping recently to help a couple with a blown tire. The husband hadn’t pulled far enough off the highway.

“They were flustered and they stopped, immediately,” says Harrington. “Their door opened onto the interstate. The gentleman couldn’t get out of his car without being on the interstate.”

Harrington, 11 years with the highway patrol, helped the couple move the car to safety, and he changed the tire, too.

“That’s one of those few times people appreciate seeing us coming,” he says.

Monica Mansfield, of Shrewsbury, Mass., credits a grisly accident several years ago with changing her highway thinking: She vows never to stop along a highway.

“I would rather drive on a rim and get off at an exit as opposed to sitting in a lane,” she says. “I drive on a highway all the way to work, and I see some of the unnecessary things people pull over for.”

AAA recommends taking an exit off the highway to a safer place, such as a parking lot or rest area, before stopping. It offers other advice for disabled vehicles in its brochure “What to Do When Your Vehicle Breaks Down.”

Wave Dreher, a AAA spokesperson in Denver, echoes — and adds to — some of the tips:

Ÿ Make note of your surroundings - a highway marker, landmark or nearby town -- so that if you need roadside assistance, you can describe exactly where you are.

Ÿ After pulling onto the far right shoulder, stay in your car and call for help. Stay in the car with your seatbelt on. “This isn’t the time to let the kids hop through the seats and things like that,” says Dreher.

Ÿ Invest in a cell phone car charger and don’t leave home without it. “People have called us to request roadside assistance and we try to call them back in 20 minutes to tell them someone is on the way, and their phone battery has gone dead,” says Dreher.

Ÿ Alert other motorists. Switch on the emergency flashers. If it’s safe to leave the car, raise the hood; place flares or warning cones to alert other drivers to your position.

Ÿ In snowy weather, briefly leave the car to scoop snow or slush from the tailpipe so that deadly carbon monoxide fumes don’t fill the vehicle.

Finally, there’s the issue of stranger danger. When stranded, do you accept a stranger’s help?

Dreher says, unfortunately, no.

“I’m a trusting individual. I’m sure that 99 percent of the people who would stop to help you are Good Samaritans,” she says. “Unfortunately, for that 1 percent, we have to be cautious. It’s always best to stay in your car and stay protected.”

“That’s a tough one,” says Harrington, who recommends playing it safe in most situations.

Sometimes, however, if stuck in an isolated location, you may have to accept help from a stranger. Rely on intuition if a stranger approaches, he says: “that hair on the back of your neck type of thing.”

His best advice?

Don’t get stuck on the side of the road in the first place. Plan ahead, know your route, and check the weather and road conditions. And make sure your car is in good working order.

“It’s that simple really,” Harrington says.