FAQ – Disabled Vehicles
Disabled Vehicles
- What should I do if my car breaks down out on the highway?
- How long can I leave a disabled vehicle along the highway?
What should I do if my car breaks down out on the highway?
Immediately turn on your four-way flashers. Make sure the vehicle is moved to a safe location in the emergency lane or on the shoulder of the highway. If you are on the Interstate, a busy highway, or in a rural area stay in the vehicle with the doors locked and use your wireless telephone to call for help. If you don’t have a wireless phone, put a sign in the rear windowasking that the police be called. If you must abandon the vehicle, leave a note on the dash or under the windshield wiperexplaining the problem and where you have gone. Make sure the vehicle is locked and nothing of value is in sight.
How long can I leave a disabled vehicle along the highway?
If a vehicle presents any kind of hazard to traffic, it will be removed immediately. The driver of a vehicle abandoned in the emergency lane of an Interstate highway or other major state highway will generally only have two hours to remove the vehicle before it is subject to removal by the police. If a vehicle has been moved to a safe location, which is completely off of thepaved portion of the highway, it will generally be allowed to sit there for 24 hours before being removed by the police. If the police remove an abandoned vehicle, the cost of towing and storage is the owner’s responsibility.