Get as far off the road as you safely can
Breaking down on the side of the road can be a nerve-wracking experience, but knowing how to stay safe makes all the difference. The first thing to do is pull your vehicle as far off the pavement as you safely can — especially on a highway like US-45 where traffic is moving fast and log trucks need the whole lane. If you can reach a wide spot, a driveway or a side road, use it.
Turn your hazards on immediately
Hazard lights are the cheapest safety equipment you own and the most under-used. Put them on the moment you know you are stopping, not after you have finished diagnosing the problem — particularly at night, in rain, or anywhere with a curve behind you.
Usually, stay in the vehicle
It is tempting to get out and look, but unless there is a real risk of being struck where you are sitting, the safest place is inside your car with your seatbelt on. A vehicle is a survivable place to be hit. A shoulder is not.
Keep something that makes you visible
A flashlight, a reflective vest or triangles, and a charged phone. If you do have to step out — to get to the far side of a guardrail, for instance — being seen is the whole game.
Give an exact location, then stay calm
When you call for help, the single most useful thing you can say is precisely where you are: a highway number and the nearest mile marker, a county road name, a bridge, a store, anything fixed. "Somewhere on 84" costs everybody time. At Jason's Wrecker Service we would rather ask you two more questions on the phone than spend twenty minutes looking for you.