Cars are so reliable these days; especially when they are regularly serviced at one of Penske Automotive Groups many locations. Even so it’s easy to forget that you can still have an emergency. Penske Automotive Group has put together a list of events that should cause you to pull your car over immediately.
Losing Something ‘Essential’: Penske Automotive Group discourages distracted driving. However, we do understand sometimes it isn’t preventable. If you ever find yourself in the position where you are reaching in the glove box or in/or around driver’s seat and drop CD, phone, food don’t fumble, take your eyes off the road and reach for it. Too many people bend down while they’re driving and this leads to serious accidents. If you drop something you need immediately pull over to a safe portion of the road and retrieve it.
Cabin Chaos: We all joke with our kids, “if you do that one more time I am going to pull this car over!” Sometimes with kids, animals and in-laws things get exciting inside a car. We highly recommend you don’t discipline while driving but pull over and get things back under control before heading on your way.
Medical Emergency: If you think that you may be experiencing a medical problem, pull over right away. We’ve heard too many stories about people who have all the signs of a stroke or heart attack, yet they decide to try to “make it home” before calling for help. This is a recipe for killing yourself and other people on the road. If you have any reason to believe you’re getting seriously ill, pull over and call for help. That’s what 911is for.
Lack of Visibility: In a downpour, thick fog, broken windshield or mud your visibility can suddenly become impaired. If your windshield wipers fail to clear glass pull over right away and either fix the problem or wait until the weather changes before getting back on the road.
Any Loud or Sudden Noise: For the most part your car is not supposed to make any loud, sudden or unidentifiable noises. If this happens it can be because you ran over something or there may be a problem with your engine. Best option is to pull over right away and survey the situation.
Temperature Light or Oil Light: There are very few things that can wreck a car in less than two minutes. But severe overheating and loss of oil pressure are definitely two big culprits. Therefore, continually monitor the lights on your dashboard and if one of these lights turns on pull off the road.
Sudden Change in Handling: If something changes in your car’s handling and you can feel it in your steering wheel, chances are it is serious. There are a couple reasons for this like blown tire or steering wheel tugging to one direction. Not every change in handling is dire. Best bet is to pull off road and access situation.
Steam/Water Vapor: Steam is usually an indication that coolant escaping cooling system. If it’s leaking slowly and hitting an exhaust pipe or something else that’s hot, it may not be an emergency. But if it’s leaking quickly, you can overheat the engine and do serious damage to your engine and your wallet. Pull over and call Penske Roadside Assistance in this situation.
Smell: We all love new car smell, but if you every smell something truly out of place it could be something more serious like wire insulation burning or a gas leak. So if you notice a smell that’s unusual and you can’t identify it, it’s best to pull over and make sure it’s nothing getting ready to cause a disaster.
Smoke: There are lots of reasons why smoke might be issuing forth from your vehicle. But almost all of them are bad. If you see smoke, it’s best to pull over and check it out.
Flames: If you see flames spouting from anywhere in your car, pull over immediately. This is a bad sign and can’t be sugar coated.
Blue Red Flashing Lights: This only means one this, the police. Follow the law, pull over.
