Going away for a weekend or for a week or two on holiday on the roads of France or Europe implies having a car in good working order. Indeed, car breakdown is dreaded by all drivers and passengers, who necessarily only aspire to quickly reach their accommodation and to be able to move from one place to another without problems! Unfortunately, and even with foresight, a breakdown can come as a surprise to everyone. The following few elements will be of great help in coping with the undesirable car breakdown
What to do in case of a breakdown on the road?
A large number of travellers still use their own cars to go on holiday. The car offers a real sense of independence and the possibility to travel wherever you want from one day to the next. In addition, motorways allow comfortable driving. On long weekends or during school holidays, when many motorists are on the road, elements such as repeated stops and starts, traffic jams on the motorway or the high heat in summer can cause mechanical breakdowns. There is no need to panic, breakdowns during car holidays are frequent and the important thing is to adopt the right reflexes to deal with them.
If the arrival of a breakdown is felt on the motorway: difficulty accelerating, smoke from the engine or lights coming on, the first reflex to have if the condition of the car allows it is to go to a rest area. If the rest area is too far away, you must park on the hard shoulder, turn on your hazard warning lights, get the passengers out to the right and move away from the traffic. For the driver, remember to put on the yellow safety vest and remove the triangle indicating to other drivers that a vehicle is at a standstill. The orange emergency bollards, placed every 2 km, then allow you to contact the emergency services for assistance within 30 minutes. Be careful, however, as the SOS bollards are gradually trying to disappear from the landscape, it is advisable to call 112 from a mobile phone or to download the SOS Autoroute application directly onto your smartphone.
It is also important to stress that if the breakdown occurs on a national or departmental road, you should contact your insurer, who will take care of towing the car and leave the choice of the garage where the car will be driven and repaired.
Breakdowns at the holiday destination, a few rules to bear in mind
The fact that the road to the holiday destination went well does not mean that a breakdown cannot occur once there. Engine failure, such as a broken timing belt, flat tire, running out of gas, flat battery, are some of the major setbacks that motorists may encounter on holiday. To avoid wasting too much time dealing with a car breakdown and finding a garage for repairs, holidaymakers are advised to consult garages in the area of the accommodation before leaving. There is no need to be surprised and embarrassed, so before leaving, a simple check on the internet of the garages around the holiday rental, campsite or hotel will provide you with a telephone directory which can always be useful in case of a problem. Not to mention that some sites even offer the possibility of comparing the rates of different garages in order to benefit from repairs at the best price!
Forethought is essential
Before leaving on holiday, and even if it is decided on a whim, being far-sighted is the best way to avoid the holiday turning into a nightmare because of the car. A quick check-up of the vehicle by a professional is always welcome with a check of the oil, coolant and brake fluid levels, the state of wear and tear and the tyre pressure. Using the car to go sightseeing is also the time to think about and reconsider your car insurance and see if it corresponds to the use that is made of the four-wheeled vehicle. An all-risk insurance remains the best way to ensure that the costs of repairs are covered, and a car breakdown on holiday can quickly put a strain on the budget
