Two tips to follow when waiting for your vehicle to be picked up by a towing company after dark
If you ever break down after dark and need to wait for a while for a towing company to send one of their drivers out to pick up your vehicle, here are some tips to follow.
Use your lights or other reflective items to ensure your vehicle is visible
In these conditions, it's important to use either your vehicle's lights (if the battery is still working and the lights are, therefore, functioning) or some other reflective items (such as a small reflective traffic cone, if you keep one of these in your vehicle) to ensure your vehicle is visible. The first reason you must do this is to make sure that other road users, who will pass by your vehicle during the period before the tow truck arrives, can see that your vehicle, even if it's very dark out, and thus avoid driving into it. This will mean that the collection of your vehicle by the towing company won't be thwarted by a post-breakdown collision.
The second reason you should do this is that, even if the road on which you've broken down isn't very busy, it could still help the tow truck driver to locate you quickly and choose an appropriate parking spot that is near your vehicle, if they can see your vehicle from a distance, even if the lighting conditions are poor, due to its blinking lights or the reflective cone you've placed beside it.
Make sure your vehicle is ready to be picked up by the tow truck driver
You should also ensure that you don't wait until the driver of the tow truck is pulling up near your vehicle to begin preparing it for the towing process. For example, you should remove your important personal belongings (such as your handbag, your phone, etc.) as well as any water bottles, takeaway coffee cups or other liquids that could spill everywhere when your car is being pulled up the ramp of the tow truck.
Not keeping the tow truck driver waiting whilst you search the vehicle for your possessions will ensure you don't delay the driver and cause them to be late when picking up the next broken-down vehicle. Even more importantly, it will also minimise the risks associated with the process of loading your vehicle onto their truck in these low lighting conditions, as carrying out this task in the dark, when there are other motorists passing by could easily result in someone colliding with the tow truck. For more information on towing, contact a professional near you.