Maybe you’ve never ever had a car breakdown on you in your life. Or, maybe it seems like every car you buy and drive ends up breaking down within 6-12 months. It could be luck. It could be statistics. Either way, you need to be prepared.

 

Over the course of your lifetime, it’s almost guaranteed that your car will break down on you at some point. That’s what the statistics say. When it does, you want to be prepared for it.

 

Common Causes of Breakdowns

 

Before you can prepare for a car breakdown, you need to know what you’re preparing up against. Cars can break down in a plethora of manners, and you cannot prepare for them all. But a little education regarding the common causes won’t hurt.

 

So, here are some of the top causes of car breakdowns:

 

• Faulty Battery
• Damaged Tires
• Lost Keys
• Alternator Faults
• Fuel Problems
• Starter Issues
• Spark Plugs
• High-Tension Leads
• …And More!

 

As you can see, there’s a variety of issues that can cause a car to break down. These are just the tip of the iceberg. A car is a complex machine.

 

How to Prepare

 

You don’t need to become a mechanic overnight. You just need to be prepared.

 

• Create a Breakdown Kit

 

The most important thing you can do is keep a breakdown kit in your car. This kit will provide you with anything and everything you need to properly handle a breakdown when the time comes.

 

Your kit should include items like:

 

• Mobile Phone Charging Device
• A Full First-Aid Kit
• Sunglasses
• Road Atlas
• Torch
• High-Visibility Vest
• Warning Triangle
• Car Jack
• Tow Rope
• Spare Tire
• Water Bottles
• Granola Bars

 

By keeping these items in a compact kit in your trunk, you’ll be prepared for a solid chunk of issues that could arise on the road. While this list isn’t all encompassing, it does a fairly good job overall and will keep some trouble at bay.

 

• Roadside Assistance

 

As most of us aren’t auto mechanics, you may not be able to fix your broken down auto on the side of the road. For this reason, it is wise to have some form of roadside assistance available to you.

 

Many car insurance companies include some form of roadside assistance these days. Give your insurance company a call and see if you have this extra coverage. If not, then you’ll want to look around and research roadside assistance companies.

 

Traditionally, AAA has been the premier roadside assistance service in the United States. If you’re looking to have towing coverage and roadside services, then AAA may be a good bet outside the insurance companies.

 

How to Deal with a Breakdown While on the Road

 

The two items above will prepare you for a breakdown, but you also need to know how to react if you’re on the road when it happens. Here’s what you must do initially to ensure your safety:

 

• Quickly evaluate the area and make sure everyone around you is safe.
• Find a suitable area to pull your vehicle over on the shoulder. Try to find a place that is as far away from traffic as possible.
• Turn your hazard lights on, completely turn the vehicle off, and give the engine time to rest and settle down.
• Call any roadside assistance, family members, or whoever you call as an emergency contact.
• If you’re unsure what the problem is, simply wait inside the vehicle with your hazard lights on. Don’t try to diagnose the issue unless you know exactly what’s going on and what you’re doing.

 

Breaking Down While Not on the Road

 

If your car breaks down while you’re not behind the wheel, then the situation is a bit simpler. In this scenario, you just need to figure out where you’ll repair your car and how to get it there. This is another time when the towing services included with your roadside assistance comes in quite handy.

 

Dealing with a Breakdown Properly

 

Don’t forget to relax and take a step back to breathe. A car issue can be stressful, but it’s not the end of the world. With the care of a well-trained technician, your car will be back on the road again in no time.

 

Just follow the steps above, stay prepared, and know that a car breakdown can happen to anyone.