Mobile Device Support For Vacation Driving Emergencies

Emergency preparation can be difficult when you're venturing into unknown situations, and car problems during vacation trips can be a strong example of a complex disaster. Breaking down on the road while hours, or even days, away from home means that you may not be easily rescued by friends or family. It can be a scary situation, but with a bit of planning and the right people on your side, you can get the help you need--hopefully with less stress.

Make Your Mobile Device A Command Center

Mobile devices have changed the way that people connect with each other--for better or for worse. Regardless of how mobile devices are used or misused, there's a lot that these devices can do in an emergency. As a computer with a small phone feature attached, your smartphone or tablet computer can have all of the map, communication tools and entertainment needed for an emergency.

It's no secret that maps are available on mobile devices, but you need to understand that these maps are not perfect. Maps with navigation features are based on approximations in many cases. Unless a specific worker behind the scenes of a smartphone map app (application) has taken the time to detail every turn and new development in your breakdown area, some details may be off by a few yards or a few miles.

Be sure to download maps of your planned trip area, including the boring hours across long interstates. Even if you lose connection to global positioning satellite (GPS) systems, you can keep an approximate guess of where you are and make your own manual corrections. A paper map can be a helpful comparison if you need to save battery life.

Know Your Outage Areas

There are still areas in the United States that lack phone coverage. Be sure to research coverage area maps before you set out on your trip in order to figure out where you may lose service. If you're stranded without the ability to call, you can at least know how far you need to travel in order to make a call.

Traveling long distances on foot isn't advisable unless absolutely necessary, but if you're able to plan your entry into phone coverage blind spots, you can contact someone in advance in case you break down without phone service.

Towing services, like Mark's Towing, Inc., should be one of the top priorities if you make it out of coverage blind spot. Although it may seem nice to contact friends and family to let them know you're okay, don't risk phone battery power or weak coverage issues cutting your call time short. Let the towing service know where you are first so that they can get you to safety as soon as possible.

Get in contact with a towing service and discuss some of the known hazards along your vacation path, as well as partner towing services along the way.

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