Having your car break down sucks. Ask any lemon law firm in California, though, and they’ll be able to tell you some stories that let you know it could be worse—like your car going faulty on you when you’re way out of town and out of range of your usual contacts. No need to despair, however, because there are still plenty of ways to find help when you’re out of town—a fair few of which we’ll be covering today. Here’s what you’ll need to know.

The Procedure When Your Car Breaks Down

The first thing you’ll need to know is what to do when your car finally does break down and you’re out of town. Thankfully, there are just seven easy steps you’ll need to remember:

• Turn on your hazard lights: This is to let other drivers know that you’re experiencing an emergency and will need to pull over to assess the issue.
• Slow down and pull over: Your car is breaking down, after all. You’ll need to move out the way so you aren’t obstructing traffic.
• Engage your emergency brake: You’ll want to turn your wheels away from the road and engage your emergency brake to keep your vehicle from drifting into traffic.
• Stay in the vehicle: This is especially true when you’re on a busy road, like a highway. Getting out immediately could put you at risk of getting hit, so stay in your vehicle first, get a good look at your surroundings to make sure traffic isn’t too heavy, then get out of your vehicle if need be.
• Stay visible to others: When you do get out of your vehicle, you’ll need to ensure that other motorists can see you and understand what’s going on. Start by putting your hood up so they know to proceed with caution.
• Set up flares or reflectors: You can further alert other motorists to your situation by setting up some roadside flares or placing reflective triangles behind your vehicle.
• Call for assistance: Chances are you won’t be able to repair your car on the spot, so you’re going to need to call in some help.

Now, that last point is the one we’ll be expanding upon a bit further, as the question remains how you’re going to get roadside assistance out to you. If you were thinking this part of the process would be insanely difficult, however, then you’re in luck. The modern era has blessed mankind with all manner of roadside assistance programs, and all you have to do to avail yourself of their services, in most cases, is be a member.

Now, one of the things you’ll want to keep in mind is the fact that you’ll need to make sure you have a roadside assistance program that can send you help no matter where you might be in the country. You’ll also want to make sure you have the right coverage from your roadside assistance program to cover likely “broken down on the road” scenarios, but it shouldn’t be as expensive as you’re thinking and it will keep you safeguarded just in case something happens.