Towing Services/Wreckers/and How to avoid them

Towing

Towing comes in many forms from tow trucks and wreckers to flatbed towing, and some tow trucks provide other services than towing. Among these are hoisting or lifting engines in or out of your vehicle and pulling vehicles stuck in mud. For those of you who already need a local towing service or wrecker, we provide listings of towing services to assist, but for the rest of you, there may be ways to avoid needing a wrecker.

Towing and Wrecker Services

Reasons to need a wrecker include hauling your car away from a wreck, pulling it out of mud, towing to a near by auto repair shop for repairs, towing to a tire repair shop, running out of fuel, losing a belt, blowing a fuse, or hauling your car home for auto repairs.

Many of these reasons for needing a towing service can be avoided with a few driving tips. The first and most simple is to improve driving habits. Most accidents and mechanical failure can be avoided by improving driving habits. I know you have heard these things, but have you understood it. Driving more alert and aware of your surroundings drastically lowers your chance of a wreck and need for towing services. Reducing your speed to suit the speed limit and driving conditions can also lower your probability of a wreck or needing a wrecker to tow your car. Being more patient on the road and considerate of other drivers may even save your life while eliminating the need for towing services. Driving with both hand on the wheel gives you better control and can prevent a wreck that results in needing a tow truck. Also, looking around, seeing your gauges, using all of your mirrors, and confirming by turning your head to check blind spots can reduce the chance of an accident, mechanical failure, and need for towing services.

Contrary to popular belief, the human conscious thought is not capable of multi-tasking. It is a proven fact, you rapidly switch back and forth between tasks and thoughts. While this may give the appearance of multi-tasking, it is not, and any attempt to do so results in lag time between processes while switching and while your focus is on the other tasks. This can be problematic while driving and result in accidents and need for towing services, as there are already so many tasks to perform to drive safely (or as safe as possible). Drinking alcohol or even many over the counter medicines can effect response time by slowing the ability to switch between tasks or thoughts, and change your perceptions of danger or depth. Don't be so arrogant as to believe that you are just that good having been doing multiple things while driving for years or even decades without having an accident. You have just gotten lucky, and likely other drivers were just paying more attention, and saved you by saving themselves. If you think you are that lucky, get a lotto ticket, but you can ask anyone who has been to Vegas, luck runs out.

People are always driving and not paying attention, and often not following traffic laws. For this reason, you must be watching for times when other driver are doing exactly what they are not supposed to be doing. This can be as simple as taking off from a stop light or sign when the other traffic is supposed to stop. They may be distracted or having brake problems and drive through the stop light or stop sign. It would benefit you to look and determine if the oncoming traffic is stopping before pulling into the intersection. You should never assume they can or will stop. When their brakes don't work, they cannot stop, and they may think they are good multi-taskers and just didn't see the light change or stop sign because their focus was on something else, and their luck just ran out. Ooops, Now you both need a towing service, or doctor? Consideration for other drivers also includes considering their circumstances like brake failure, sleeping at the wheel, not paying attention, or they may have had a heart-attack rendering them unconscious, and you should consider all the things you may not know about the other drives and their car or health. They may be suicidal...Are you?

While driving, there are a number of tasks to perform, without adding to the list with distractions. You should be thinking about where you are currently and your destination. This includes thinking through your directions, and which lane is necessary. Any distraction could make you miss your turn or be in the wrong lane for the exit. You should be using your mirrors, looking around to observe potential blind spots, watching the road and traffic or other obstacles in front, behind, and to the sides to be aware of all your surroundings. Being able to hear can also assist in knowing the surroundings and alert you to changing conditions. While driving, you should also be checking your gauges and listening and feeling for potential problems with your car. You need to be doing all of these things while steering, braking, accelerating, driving, reading signs, and observing the traffic laws, and if other drivers are observing traffic law. Then, you need to watch for un-expected conditions like a child chasing a ball into the road, in the rain, fog, or snow, ice on the road, and an idiot ridding your bumper. Has it gotten complicated enough, or do you need more things to do while driving?

The truth is I haven't covered all of the tasks and process of driving yet, and for some reason people think they need more distractions and task to perform while driving. How many times have you seen an idiot driving while reading a book, talking on a cell phone, reading or sending a text, writing something on paper, reading something on their phone or a newspaper, eating, getting a drink, putting on make-up, brushing their hair, shaving, falling asleep, speeding up to make it through a light that turned yellow, speeding down the shoulder past traffic to get to an exit turn or driveway, trimming their nails, watching a video or movie, changing clothes, digging for something in a floorboard or purse, blaring their music, wearing ear-buds, or making-out? Now, how many times where you that idiot? Any one of these can cause an accident (or rather Negligence causing a wreck), that leads to a need for towing services or worse.

All of these tasks occupy your attention and prevent you from seeing or hearing things going on around you. You may think reading is reading, no matter the device or object, but this idea is wrong. While driving, you are focused on driving and the signs are out at distance that allows more in your view than just the sign, and you can see movement in your peripheral fields of vision. When you are driving and reading you texts, a book, newspaper, or watching a video or your vanity mirror to do your make-up or shave, your field of vision is limited to the space between you and your device as your eyes are focused to see in this range and most other view is blocked. In addition, your attention is entirely on your current task, especially if it is your favorite part of the movie, or just interesting.

While falling asleep behind the wheel is obviously a dangerous situation that will likely result in a wreck and calling a towing service, people overlook talking on the phone and listening to music. Music can be relaxing, but it is also a major distraction while driving. People tend to get really involved with their music and allow their minds to wonder off to other ideas, or are just that into the lyrics and beat of the song that they are driving down the road singing and bobbing their head and making hand gestures to the music. Your head bobbing, hands blocking view, and closing your eyes while you emphasize your favorite lyrics are likely to prevent you from seeing things around you, and lead to an accident and towing services. Additionally, when your music is loud or you are focused on hearing someone on the phone, you are not listening to your car or surroundings. Not hearing brakes, tires squalling, horns, or sirens may cause a wreck and your need for a towing service, and not hearing the noises your car makes, not seeing your gauges and lights, or feeling the bumps or pulls of your car can lead to major mechanical failures that result in calling a towing service or may cause a wreck.

It is bad enough to have your attention on the details of your phone conversation, but often the phone is held up to your ear or face and is blocking view. If you are one of those idiots that think talking on your cell phone is not a distraction from driving, ask yourself if you have ever missed a turn or exit because you were talking on the phone and not thinking about where you were and were going. You were clearly distracted from driving, and got lucky that missing your turn was the only problem. If that is not enough to get your attention, consider this: If you are on the phone and get into a wreck where someone dies, they can and do check your phone records and GPS to confirm, and you can go to jail for murder or manslaughter. Technically, this includes if your phone rings or gets a text moments before a wreck, because you were likely looking at your phone and caused a wreck. This includes passenger's phones as well because people tend to pass phones around. If you are lucky, all you will need is a wrecker service and not a lawyer.

Driving the posted speed or driving at speeds better suited to the driving conditions can greatly reduce your risk of needing towing services, not to mention, speeding just isn't worth it. When you are driving in a hurry, you are being inconsiderate of others on the road, their circumstance (like no brakes), and road/weather conditions. Ignoring any one of these can lead to a wreck. When you consider the reason people speed, the primary reason is to get to the destination faster. While it may save you about 30 minutes on a 10 hour drive, to drive 5-10 miles over the speed limit, it can only save you a few seconds to a minute on in town driving. Do the math and see for yourself. Then, consider the average time spent pulled over for a speeding ticket is 20-30 minutes and $200-$600 in fines plus an increase in insurance costs for the next 3 years. Is it really worth the cost and risk of losing the time? Speeding through ice, heavy rain, fog, traffic and other bad road conditions is more likely to result in a wreck and loss of your vehicle, and take a lot more time before your arrival.

By driving more considerate, you are more likely to arrive at your destination, and may even get there faster. People constantly changing lanes and hitting their brakes or making other drivers hit brakes, slows traffic in general. The more people do this or try to crowd their way in or force someone out, they slow the flow of traffic and cause traffic jams. If you think I'm wrong, look at the next traffic jam, and see if there is even a reason for traffic to slow when you get to the front and traffic begins moving again. In some cases, there may be a wreck or obstruction at the front, but it is often the result of the circumstance described. In most cases, you will find all lanes are open and flowing, and the only reason for traffic to slow is response to a driver changing lanes too close and scaring other drivers into hitting brakes. The effect works through the cars in each lane like a ripple in a pond, flowing from the point of origin back and disrupting the surroundings, and causing another occurrence further back and amplifies the effect again and again until traffic nearly stops. Pick a lane and drive. Change lanes when necessary, and before the last opportunity. There are generally signs or flashing lights to direct you of lanes closed due to construction or obstruction, and signs telling you how far to your exit. Getting in the correct lane sooner and not slowing traffic by forcing your way in, can keep traffic moving at posted speeds. Just remember, one rock causes ripples, and one idiot can cause a wreck.

All that being said, improving driving habits can reduce your need for a towing service or wrecker.

Other things you can do to avoid needing a towing service include: Checking your gauges regularly, checking your fluids when you fuel up, Changing your oil and filter often, inspecting your tires before driving every time, checking your belts, checking for oil or coolant leaks, running higher quality fuel, regular tune-ups, checking your brakes, and keeping some basic things in your vehicle for minor emergency repairs.

You should always monitor your gauges while driving. They can inform you if your battery or alternator are weak or bad, let you know if you are loosing oil pressure or are low on oil, let you know if you are low on fuel or if your gauge is stuck and not moving for long periods, let you know if your engine is running higher rpm before shifting, and let you know if your engine is running hot. Any one of these can let you know about problems before they become critical and require a tow truck, but you cannot ignore them. You need to take immediate action to prevent damage. Pull over and find out what is going on. If you wait until you get to your destination, it may be too late.

Checking your fluids every time you get fuel is a great way to prevent needing a wrecker. You can add oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, coolant (don't open hot), or transmission fluid to top-off as needed, and better gauge if you are loosing fluids and have leaks to repair. Also, most fueling stations are level ground, which is needed to check most of your fluids. Additionally, this is a good time to look under your vehicle and check for leaks.

Changing your oil and filter regularly keeps your engine clean and well lubricated, and can greatly reduce your need for a tow truck. This is because thick dirty oil clogs your engine and reduces lubrication of the moving parts and can allow valves to stick, and the friction of metal parts can ruin you head and piston or wear your bearing and seals, and even break moving parts or the heads, leave you stranded needing a towing service and a new engine.

Inspecting your tire before every trip can reduce you likely hood to be stranded along side the road with a flat tire, or prevent a wreck due to a tire blow-out. You should check your tires for low pressure, bulges or bubbles, un-even wear, and low tread or exposed bands or cables. It don't take long to walk around and look them over, but failure to do this can leave you calling for a tow.

Checking your belts and checking for oil or coolant leaks can keep you from needing towing services. Your fan, a/c, water pump, power steering, alternator, and other devices rely on the engine turning a belt and driving their pulley to operate, and many cars and trucks use only one belt. You need to inspect it often for damage, and should probably keep a spare. Your belts, oil, and coolant are all necessary to keep your engine operating. Checking for leaks can prevent major damage to your engine, and keep you from needing towing services if you take the time to fix them promptly.

Running higher quality fuel and regular tune-up can not only improve fuel-economy, but can keep your engine running longer and prevent the need for towing services. Cheaper fuel tends to have water and fine particles of trash in the system. Both are bad for fuel economy, and may damage your injectors or filter, and leave you calling for a tow truck. These lower quality fuels can leave your spark plugs fouled and prevent the engine from burning fuel properly or not running at all. Similar results occur with bad plugs, plug wires, distributor, coil/coil-packs, and clogged air filters. Regular tune-ups replace these parts, and keep your engine running well, improve fuel-economy, and can prevent these issues from leaving you on the side of the road calling a towing service.

Checking your brakes and brake fluid often can reduce major damage, and reduce your chance for towing services and wrecks. You should never wait until you hear the tabs on your brakes making noise before changing your brakes. If you have waited this long, the tabs are cutting grooves in your disk or drum, and will likely need them replaced also. Depending on how much you drive, and if you ride your brakes, you should have them inspected every 3-6 months, or if there is and noise or change in how your brakes perform.

There are a few basic things to keep for emergency repairs that may save you from waiting on a wrecker service, and allow you to make emergency repairs and get on your way. Among them are basic tools and replacement parts, and a tire repair kit.

Some of the basic tools to keep in you car include: jumper-cables, portable air-compressor, pliers, screwdrivers, a pocket-knife, electrical tape, basic wrenches or a socket set, a good jack and tire stop, tire irons and 4-way lug wrench, a hammer, a pry-bar, flashlights, zip-ties, a funnel, a tire plug kit, and a portable battery booster. With these basic tools, you should be equipped for most roadside emergency repairs, and hopefully, you have someone with you who knows how to use them, or maybe you should learn before you need them.

Some common replacement parts to keep in your car to perform roadside repairs rather than calling a wrecker service include: spare fuses, spare headlight bulbs, spare buses/relays, small spool of automotive wire, tire plugs and patches, 1-2 qt engine oil, a gallon of coolant, a qt of transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, a spare drive belt or belts, tube of high-temp gasket maker, shop towels, zip-ties, electrical tape, a belt that is shorter and can bypass the A/C compressor, hose-clamps and short length of 2 inch rubber hose, a piece of sanding cloth or paper, and spare wiper blades. With these basic replacement parts, you will be better prepared for emergency roadside repairs, and may not need to call for a towing service or be stuck waiting on help to come by or arrive.

For more information about using these tools and parts, read some of our other articles including Tire Repair and Basic Roadside Repairs.

Thank you for helping us expand this article directory with new useful articles to help those who may seek your wisdom and experience.

Towing Articles

• Roadside Repairs