When a vehicle breaks down on a highway where there are no parking lanes, or in another emergency situation, four basic rules apply. It is necessary to maintain balance, put on a reflective vest, get to safety, i.e. behind the guardrails and immediately call the Highway Patrol. It has significant signaling that will provide the parked vehicle with safe cover to solve the problem and at the same time warn other motorists of a potential obstacle. It is also recommended to have enough fuel. This was reported by NDS media communication for TASR.
“First of all, you have to protect yourself and the vehicle crew. If possible, the vehicle should be pulled as close to the shoulder as possible. Since there are high-speed vehicles near the driver’s door, it is safer to get out from the passenger side,” NDS emphasizes, saying that those crew members who are dependent on the help of others, i.e. a child in a car seat or a senior citizen, must be brought behind the barriers as quickly as possible. Staying in the car just to maintain comfort is not recommended.
The driver should always have reflective elements at hand – both on clothing and the tools needed to mark an obstacle to warn others and protect his car from an impact. Do not forget about the warning lights, the so-called blinkers. Then you have to get behind the barriers as soon as possible, where the safest place is. It is not recommended for motorists to stay near heavy traffic.
“You have to remember that vehicles drive on the highway at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour. Therefore, the reaction time of motorists can be shortened and they may not notice an obstacle in sufficient time, unless it is properly marked“, reminds NDS.
At the same time, the alpha and omega is to call the Highway Patrol as quickly as possible. Since this year, these vehicles have been included among cars with priority driving rights – they have blue beacons, which speeds up the arrival of the crew. In the event of a traffic accident, the NDS asks drivers to comply with the rule of creating a rescue lane. “It is often a matter of precious seconds when safe cover can save someone’s life,” notes NDS.
One of the first questions of operators on the Highway Patrol line will be the location. It is ideal if the motorist noticed the last odometer on the side of the road, i.e. a table with the exact location. The number displayed on it will help the patrol to precisely locate the location of the parked vehicle. But the motorist can be under stress in such a situation, so it is enough to remember which town he passed last and which direction he is heading.
Highway patrol is a free NDS service and has been operating for 15 years. Crews are available to motorists throughout Slovakia, 24/7. Since the beginning of the year, the Highway Patrol intervened almost 17,000 times. Most often it helps by creating a safe cover, motorists most often have a problem with an engine failure or a defect.
This year, the patrol intervened almost 2,000 times to remove obstacles caused by traffic accidents and removed objects from the highway almost 15,000 times. However, the vehicles are in motion, even if they do not help in any critical situation on the highway. For example, they check sections of highways, clean and check rest stops or the condition of vertical traffic signs.
