What to Do if You Have to Stop on the Highway

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDJEhMdOGnE[/youtube]

Hi! I’m Gary Burger of Burger Law. I’ve had occasions in the past where I’ve been asked and I’ve recently been asked,
“What do you if you have an emergency and you have to stop on the highway? What’s the safe way to do
so?” Well, that can occur if you have a flat tire, if something happens, run out of gas, or something emergent happens,
what do you do and what are the rules of the road for doing that?

Well, thankfully, we’re informed by the drivers’ guides in Missouri and Illinois and other states about how to do that.
The main rule is never stop on the highway, and many highways have rest stops and service areas. So, if it’s not an
acute emergency, wait till you get to the next rest stop, wait till you get to the next exit, get off there and deal
with your emergency there. If it’s a sudden flat tire or something else emergent — I had this last month — then what you
want to do is move off the highway.

Be alert, and I can’t say it any better than this. Be alert so that you know well ahead of the time when you’ll have to
stop. Stopping suddenly is dangerous. Braking quickly could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Braking quickly
and stopping quickly makes other drivers behind you stop without meaning to and they also may hit you. Avoid panic stops
by seeing events well in advance. By slowing down and changing lanes you may not have to stop at all if you encounter an
emergency or a vehicle stop or a box or something on the highway or a tire from a semi, and gradual and safer stops are
better.

You can stop on the shoulder of a highway in an emergency. If you do so, alert other drivers by turning on your
emergency flashers. It’s also helpful to raise a hood or tie a white cloth to the antenna. If you’re going to be there
for a period of time, those are great things to do. The other thing is if you have other passengers and you’re changing
a tire, have a spotter or someone back on the roadway that a driver coming will see you. Move off the highway plenty of
distance to change a tire. Call AAA or whatever your emergency roadside service is.

In changing a tire, move way off the roadway. Hopefully, it’s the tire opposite of the roadway. Changing tires is a
whole another thing I really don’t want to get into that too much in this video to avoid boring you, but be careful.
Turn on flashers, turn on lights, and try to limit your time on the side of the highway. Being on the side of a highway
is only to deal with emergency situations. I can’t emphasize that enough. Go to another rest stop or get off the highway
if you have any other need for that.

If you have any questions about this, please call the personal injury attorneys of Burger Law
at (314) 542-2222 and be careful out there on the roadways. Remember that highway speeds and force equals mass times
acceleration. These vehicles 5,000, 6,000-pound SUVs are going at 60 miles an hour, having an incredible amount of
force. That says nothing about 50,000-pound tractor-trailers who also may drift, and drivers aren’t always paying
attention, so you need to practice defensive driving especially when you’re on the side of a roadway.
Thank you.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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