At some point in your life, you will find yourself on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck driver. Or the tow truck driver can’t make it to you right away – in cases of extreme weather, this happens from time to time, when everyone is busy. So you find your car is waiting for a tow, while you are picked up by a friend or family member. Here are some helpful tips we’ve gained over the years to make it easier on our tow truck drivers.
Empty your personal belongings from the car
This includes anything that you may need in the next few days or weeks. Personal belonging aren’t something our drivers like to mess with or clean up after. If you can, please remove trash or keep it neatly in your vehicle trash can. If you keep your vehicle insurance card in your glove box, take it with you – this probably also has your personal information on it. If someone else were to get to the vehicle before we would, we’d hate for your identity to be stolen, causing you more headaches.
Take Photos
This is especially important if you were in an accident, but it’s also a good idea to take photos before you leave the car anywhere for any amount of time. Our drivers do their best to not damage the vehicles that we tow, but sometimes unforeseen circumstances happen that we can’t control. If you know you are going to need to submit an insurance claim, they are going to want to see these photos.
Leave Your Vehicle Unlocked
Thieves don’t usually look for vehicles on the side of the road that need to be towed – they look for higher-end vehicles that are parked. It’s to obvious for them to be noticed or something more serious could go wrong with the vehicle, there is, afterall, a reason it’s on the side of the road. The chance of them getting caught after doing something like this is higher. So where do you leave you key? Underneath the floor mat or underneath the visor are two good options. Remember to separate your other keys from the vehicle key – you may need to get into your house, office or other place, and leaving it in your car when it’s waiting to be towed isn’t a great idea.
Leave Your Emergency Break Off
If the emergency break is on when we go to tow your vehicle, damage could result. Just leave it off, and feel free to call us if you have questions about this.
Roll Up Your Windows
We know it’s hot out, and it’s currently not raining when you leave your car. But by the time we get there it could be raining or worse. Hopefully not, but it’s better safe than sorry. You wouldn’t want a little fender bender or flat tire to turn into a ‘Vehicle Totaled’ situation. Rolling your windows up will also help from anyone with “sticky fingers” from walking off with anything you may have left in your vehicle.
Be Clear on Where it’s Going
When you call us, please tell us the name of the shop, address or any other important information we need to know. Does it need to go around back, or is there a specific location your shop would like it? It may help if you call the shop after you call us and let them know your vehicle will be coming their way.
Doing all these things and keeping them in mind, will help you have a successful tow experience, and hopefully, help you get back on the road faster.
