I just got back from Houston last night. The short drive during the day between Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston is not bad; you are there before you know it. Yeah, that was on the way over there, I had to drive back to Fort Worth at 12:30 am. The lonely highway of I-45, nothing but you and the road, not to mention Texas State Troopers, deer, and drunk drivers in Houston, oh my!
The “all mighty, all knowing” Google Maps says the 295-mile trip from the south side of Houston to the north Tarrant County area should take four hours and 38 minutes. OK, that’s not bad, but at night it seemed to take forever! Along my journey of loud metal music and the euphoria of a five-hour energy drink, I saw a few broken-down vehicles.
What would you do if you found yourself in that situation? Do you have a cell phone or road side assistance? If you have On-Star you don’t have to read this article, but for those of you who don’t, we have a few valuable tips for you.
First of all, if your car breaks down try to move over to the right as far as possible. My girlfriend’s uncle got hit by an 18-wheeler while changing a flat tire when he was in the left hand shoulder.
Exit the vehicle from the opposite side of traffic and get away from the car. DO NOT STAND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OR TO THE SIDE OF THE CAR. If you don’t have AAA or road side assistance, many states provide road side help, sometimes free of charge.
If you do have to stay in your car, assuming you are in the right-hand shoulder, instead of having your flashers on have your left blinker on. That way approaching traffic from behind thinks you’re about to get on the highway and they might move over for you so you don’t get hit.
Hopefully, you will not find yourself on a lonely highway with a broken-down vehicle, but if you do, hopefully, this will help. Next week we will talk about being pulled over by the cops and what not to do.
Take Care-
Danny Keaton