The order matters more than speed
When an engine dies or a tire lets go, most drivers do things in the order panic suggests: grab the phone, start searching for a number, then think about where the car is sitting. Flip that. Your position on the road decides how much danger you are in, and everything else can wait thirty seconds.
The plan below is the one we walk callers through at Auto Lyft USA. It splits into two tracks, because a dead car on I-70 near the downtown split is a very different problem from a dead car on a quiet street in Clintonville. Read the track that fits, then jump to the shared section on making the call.
Stuck on an interstate or divided highway (I-70, I-71, I-270)
Momentum is your friend. If the car is still rolling when trouble starts, signal and coast as far right as you can, ideally onto the paved shoulder or past the end of a guardrail where there is more room. An exit ramp is even better if you can reach one without stopping in a live lane. A few hundred extra feet of coasting can turn a dangerous stop into a routine one.
Once stopped, turn the wheels away from traffic, set the parking brake and switch on the hazard lights. After dark, keep the running lights glowing as well. Warning triangles are worth setting out only when you can reach the area behind the car without drifting toward moving traffic.
Then make the hardest decision: stay in the car or get out. On a narrow shoulder with trucks passing inches away, the safest spot is often behind the guardrail or up the grass bank, well behind and to the side of the vehicle, never directly in front of or behind it. If there is no barrier and no safe place to stand, staying belted in with hazards on is usually the better choice. Never stand between your car and traffic, and never try to push a car across lanes.
- Stopped in a travel lane, or unable to get out safely? Call 911 first. A disabled vehicle in a live lane is an emergency, not an inconvenience.
- Note the direction you were heading, the last exit sign you passed and any mile marker you can see. Interstates around Columbus cross each other often, so 'on 270 near Hilliard' is not enough.
- Ohio's move-over law asks drivers to change lanes or slow down for stopped vehicles with flashing lights, but plenty of drivers are distracted. Assume nobody sees you.
On a city street, a parking lot or a driveway
Surface streets are less frightening, but they come with their own traps. A car stalled on a four-lane stretch of Broad Street or Morse Road at rush hour still blocks traffic, and drivers coming over a rise may not see it in time. If the car rolls, steer into a side street, a parking lot or the curb lane and get the hazards on.
If you are blocking an intersection and the car will not move, put the transmission in neutral only if it is safe for a passenger or a helpful bystander to push it a short distance on flat ground. Do not push on a hill, and do not let anyone stand downhill of a rolling car.
In a parking garage or a tight lot, note the level, the row and any clearance signs at the entrance. Low ceilings change which truck can reach you, and our parking garage towing page explains how that works.
Who to call, and in what order
Think in three calls, and most breakdowns only need the last one.
- 911, if anyone is hurt, if the car is in a live lane, if there is smoke or fire, or if you feel unsafe where you are.
- Your roadside plan, if you have one through an insurer, a credit card or a membership. Ask what they cover and how long they expect it to take, then decide whether to wait for them.
- A local tow company, directly. Calling us at (614) 633-8163 puts you through to dispatch around the clock, and the dispatcher quotes a price and a live arrival estimate before any truck leaves. If talking is hard where you are, the tow request page takes the same details in writing.
What the dispatcher will ask you
Have these answers ready and the call takes a couple of minutes instead of ten. Every one of them changes either the truck we send or the price we quote.
- Exact location: highway, direction, nearest exit or cross street, and any landmark you can see.
- The vehicle itself, plus anything unusual about it: all-wheel drive, an electric drivetrain, a lowered body.
- What happened: won't start, overheated, flat tire, crash, or stuck off the pavement.
- Whether the keys are with you and whether the steering wheel turns and the car rolls in neutral.
- Where the car should go: home, your own shop or a shop we suggest.
- A good callback number in case the call drops.
While you wait for the truck
Keep the phone charged and the ringer up, because the driver may call as they approach to check your direction of travel and which shoulder the car is sitting on. If you are sitting in the car in cold weather, run the engine in short bursts only if the tailpipe is clear, and crack a window. In summer, an overheated engine should be left alone with the hood closed until it cools; our guide on what to do when a car overheats explains why.
Gather what you will need away from the car: wallet, phone charger, any medication, a child seat if you will ride along. If you hope to ride along in the truck cab, ask the dispatcher when you call so seating can be sorted out before the driver arrives.
If a tow truck you did not call shows up and offers to take the car, you are not obliged to accept. Wait for the company you arranged, and ask the arriving driver to confirm the company name and your name before anything is hooked up.
Small problems that may not need a tow
Not every breakdown ends on a flatbed. A dead battery, a flat with a usable spare, an empty tank or keys locked inside can usually be handled where you sit. A jump start, lockout, tire change or battery call is billed at $75 flat, with en-route mileage on top, and fuel delivery is $75 plus fuel. Details sit on our roadside assistance page.
If the problem is mechanical and the car is coming to us on the deck, we do not repair it ourselves. The flatbed delivers it to your own mechanic, or, if you have none, to an independent partner shop where the problem is diagnosed and priced before any work starts. You can read more on our repair referrals page, and the published numbers for every kind of call are on our rates page.