Three Ways A Break Down Can Cause A New Haven Auto Accident

There are few more stressful situations in life than when your car breaks down.  Your mode of transportation is interrupted and you have to figure out how to get it resolved quickly so you can go back to having the flexibility and freedom it provides.  If your car breaks down and that leads to you getting into a New Haven auto accident the stress from that is compounded by ten fold.

Depending on where your car breaks down you can be put in a situation that can be very difficult to protect yourself and your car from injury and damage.  A good percentage of break downs occur on highways and these can be the most dangerous roads to break down on and therefore you must be the most aware of the things that can cause a dangerous incident when you breakdown.

The good news is there are some things you can do, even when something occurs that could cause an accident, to keep yourself free from danger.  Let’s look at a few of these ways that a break down can lead to an accident and what you can do to insure that it doesn’t.

1.) A tire blowout leads to erratic driving and an incident with a vehicle in another lane.  This is a very difficult situation for you to deal with as the driver of the vehicle.  In this instance it is possible that you will lose control of the car and panic.  The first thing you can do is to remain calm.  If you are panicked you will likely not be able to think clearly and act in a way to protect yourself or your passengers.  Take your foot off the accelerator and come to a complete stop by gliding and not hitting the brakes.  If you have to change lanes, do so carefully and without any sudden movements.  Of course, this is in a perfect situation, but do your best to remember these things and you will hopefully be able to avoid an accident.

2.) Your car begins to smoke and the engine light comes on.  A common occurrence when you’re driving long distances, but not something that should cause an accident.  In this case you will want to calmly pull as far over to the side of the road as you can to get yourself away from on-coming traffic.  Get out of your car, safely and get as far away from your vehicle as possible.  If there is smoke, there may be fire and of course fire can lead to serious injury.  Call 911 and request help so professionals can help you resolve the situation.

3.) Your brakes stop working.  This is the scariest scenario of all so it will be incredibly difficult to stay calm when faced with this situation, but calm is a must.  If you can remain calm, you will likely not lose control of your vehicle, you will just need to guide it to safety.  Start by taking your foot off the accelerator and begin gliding.  At this point you may want to put on your hazard lights because your speed should decrease significantly.  Safely signal and move over to the side of the road until your vehicle comes to a complete stop.

When your car breaks down you will be faced with a lot of things to take care of and the last thing you will want to be thinking about is getting your car repaired from a New Haven auto accident.  While it can be scary to have your car break down, a sense of calm is so important in making sure that you stay safe and are not getting into more danger then just the mechanical break down of your vehicle.

If you do find yourself injured, no matter the circumstances, you may need to speak with an attorney.  Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.