No one ever wants to be in a situation where your car has to be towed… BUT if your car is in need of towing, it’s probably related to one of two main reasons: First, if it was illegally parked (towed away without your consent) or because your car broke down and you can not move it (Emergency Towing). While there’s not much you can do to be prepared for the first situation (Illegal Parking), There are steps you can take to make sure that both you, and your vehicle are ready for Emergency Towing if the unfortunate situation arises. Here are a few helpful steps to consider to make the towing experience stress-free. Step 1: Stay Safe If your vehicle brakes down, it’s most likely broken down in a place that you did not expect it to. With any luck, you’re probably already in a parking space, but if your vehicle died or broke down while you are out on the road, it’s very important that you first get yourself to safety, and secondly, if possible, move your vehicle to safety. If your car is near the roadway, but you have room to move it further to the side of the road, on a flat surface, you can put the vehicle into neutral, and push the vehicle further to a safer spot away from traffic. This may require two people, one to steer, and one to push. If you are unable to move the vehicle, it is always a good idea to place cones, flares, flags or any other markers around the vehicle. If you do not have any physical markers available to you, make sure that your emergency/hazzard lights are turned on. Step 2: Prepare For Assistance Before you call anyone for assistance, it is a good idea to gather your paperwork for your vehicle. This paperwork can consist of registration, any roadside assistance information provided with your car, or insurance, or your auto club membership card.   Step 3: Make the Call Making a call for roadside assistance is easy, but deciding before the time of crisis who your roadside assistance provider will be can be a tough decision. If you have a roadside assistance with a club, such as AAA, they typically provide free towing as a perk of your membership. However, towing distances may vary depending on your level of membership. Your vehicle may also be covered by the dealership where it was purchased, or in the case of a rental vehicle, many credit card companies do provide free warranties and roadside assistance. If you currently do not have a auto club membership, or roadside assistance service, we highly recommend purchasing a membership to save on your towing cost. Towing your vehicle can easily surpass $100. Step 4: Wait for your Tow Truck Or Roadside Assistance Once you’ve placed the call for assistance, your customer service representative should provide you with a few key pieces of information: The Name of the person coming to assist you. The estimated time of their arrival. The name of the Towing or Roadside Assistance Company who is on their way to you Whichever service you’ve chosen typically sends a truck from a local company, like Eagle Wrecker & Towing. If you are in the Tulsa area, you can specifically request Eagle Wrecker & Towing to your roadside assistance provider. While you are waiting for your assistance to arrive, keep your windows up and be aware of any suspicious persons nearby who attempt to approach you. Keep your doors locked and keep an eye out. Step 5: Towing When your tow truck arrives, you will most likely need to present your documentation to the driver, and also sign the paperwork that he or she will have for you. Most likely, your tow truck driver will have you put the vehicle in neutral when they are ready to winch it onto their flatbed. Once your vehicle is loaded up and secured your driver should confirm where they’ll be delivering the vehicle for you before they depart. If you’ve chosen Eagle Wrecker & Towing, you can count on being well taken care of from start to finish of this process. Our trained and experienced staff will make sure that your vehicle is treated safely and moved quickly to where it needs to go. ...read more