What can be just as frustrating as a car accident is when your vehicle breaks down, especially when you are in a hurry and on your way to something important. It can be the difference between a good week and a bad week.
At Acorn, we provide complimentary courtesy cars to those who are involved in a car accident that wasn’t their fault, and competitive prices on courtesy cars to those who are involved in a car accident that was their fault.
But what happens if while you are driving one of our courtesy cars it breaks down?
Above everything else, when your vehicle breaks down, whether it’s one of our courtesy vehicles or not, you need to take steps to guarantee your safety. There have unfortunately been countless instances of road-side fatalities that have occurred because a driver whose vehicle had broken down did not implement the following safety precautions.
If the vehicle you’re driving starts to stall, take steps immediately to take it to the side of the road or highway and turn your hazard lights on while you do it (and keep them on).
If you are on a busy road or highway, you should not leave the vehicle under any circumstances, but if you are in a low-traffic area you can leave the vehicle to open the bonnet. This alerts other drivers to the fact that your vehicle has broken down.
When your hazard lights are on and your bonnet is up (unless you are on a busy road or highway) you will need to call for assistance. If you don’t have a mobile phone and you are in a low-traffic area, you might be able to flag down a passing driver to offer you assistance, or you might be able to seek that assistance from someone in a nearby residence. If you are on a busy road or highway, do not exit your vehicle and attempt to flag a passing driver down. Only if one volunteers to stop and assist you should you seek help in this scenario.
In ordinary circumstances, as soon as you have access to a mobile phone you would call your roadside assistance or car insurance provider. In the situation, however, where you are driving an Acorn courtesy vehicle, your first port-of-call should be to call our customer support team on 1300 22 67 67, who will advise you how to proceed.
