When you are broken down on the side of the road at night, it can be pretty scary, especially when other vehicles are zipping past you at high speeds. Even if you have already called for a tow truck to come and get you, you still need to take measures to make your vehicle as visible as possible. However, if you do not have an emergency kit that includes flares and reflectors, use the following tips to allow other cars to see you while you are stranded on the side of the road.

1.  Turn on Every Exterior and Interior Light

Ideally, when your vehicle has broken down on the side of the road, you should use the flares in your emergency roadside kit to illuminate your vehicle, placing them immediately around its perimeter. The flares should also be placed a few yards behind your vehicle to alert passing cars ahead of time of your presence, especially if you are hidden by a curve.

However, if you do not have any flares, you can still make your car at least somewhat visible using its own lighting. Turn on your hazard lights and headlights to brighten the area around your vehicle. Then, turn on the dome lights as bright as they will go. While you may worry about draining your battery, it is better to have a drained battery than to have another vehicle strike yours and cause extensive damage.

2.  Put a Makeshift Reflector on the Outside of Your Car

Other useful pieces of a roadside emergency kit are the triangular reflectors that you can set around your car to reflect the headlights of passersby. While it is ideal to use these reflectors with the flares to provide as much visibility as possible, using them alone is better than doing nothing.

However, if you do not have any reflectors in your car, use what you can to create makeshift ones. If you have a white coat or t-shirt, you can stretch this along the back bumper so that the light color can help reflect some light in the darkness. Or, if you have light-colored bags, you can put these in the cracks of the windows facing the road to grab the attention of other drivers. This will at least help alert them of your presence on the side of the road.

Making your car as visible as you can while waiting for help can let other drivers know that you are there, as well as keep you safer at night. For more information about what to do while awaiting the tow truck, speak with the dispatcher from the 24-hour towing service that is coming to your aid.