The Many Perils of Freeway Travel : Highway Patrol Lists Do’s and Don’ts in Emergencies

It’s a recipe Southern Californians know well: Take one freeway system, add water and voila --instant gridlock.

When a storm sweeps in, as one did recently, what little order prevails on local freeways is washed down the inadequate drains. Water sloshes up into engines, wetting distributor caps and causing cars to stall. Visibility drops, wet brakes fail and bumpers crumple. (The California Highway Patrol reports a 33% increase in accidents during wet weather.)

And as all too many motorists sit in freeway traffic, June Baca sits at a “nervous desk,” repeating a question so obvious it must befuddle the pitiful--sometimes sopping wet--people hearing it:

“Highway Patrol, are you having car trouble?”

Officially known as a “service desk operator,” Baca and 10 other civilian employees at CHP Headquarters on Vermont Avenue answer nearly 2,000 calls a day from the 3,607 call boxes spread at quarter-mile intervals over Los Angeles County’s 525 miles of freeway, as well as all calls to the emergency 911 number from cellular phones.

Sometimes the euphemistic “car trouble” question is followed by reports of true tragedy. More often, the caller, shouting to be heard over the honk and roar of the freeway, describes the sort of misery that only seems worse than injury or death: the disintegrated alternator that kills all hopes of a long-awaited weekend getaway; the crushed front end that will put a dent in a salesman’s life for weeks to come.

“Most automobile owners, unless they’re driving a marginal wreck, don’t anticipate the possibility of a breakdown,” said John Retsek, an automotive journalist who for 13 years has co-hosted radio station KPFK’s no-holds-barred “Car Show.” “But my wife and I drive mostly new test cars, and it’s just amazing how many of those go belly up . . . Breaking down on the Harbor Freeway at midnight has always been one of my greatest fears.”

“There are no set solutions to all the problems” that can occur on Southern California’s freeways, said CHP Public Affairs Officer Mike Maas. He and other experts did, however, offer some general guidelines to help survive a mishap, rain or shine.

IF YOU’RE INVOLVED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT ON THE FREEWAY

DO:

- Remain calm. Look around. See if there are any witnesses. Before you leave the scene of the accident, take a second look at where the vehicles were. Copy down the license plate numbers and get a good look at the person driving, then--if possible--arrange to meet off the freeway.

- Drive your car off the freeway and call the Highway Patrol.

- File a report with the CHP if the damage is more than $500 to the property of any one person. CHP officers will respond to non-injury accidents only if they aren’t busy with more serious matters. If you don’t want to call the CHP or they don’t want to come, go to the nearest CHP office and file a “counter report.” The CHP suggests you file within 48 hours. The California Vehicle Code compels you to file within 10 days.

DON’T:

- Abandon a car that can be driven at the point of impact. Ever.

- Get out of the car--even on the shoulder--to examine the damage or argue about whose fault the wreck was. “You’re putting yourself and other motorists at much more of a hazard,” Maas said. In 1986, the CHP investigated 455 accidents of various sorts involving vehicles stopped on a freeway shoulder, Maas said. “I don’t have the exact figures, but yes, there were injuries, and yes, there were deaths.”

- Discuss responsibility for the accident with anyone. Discuss the circumstances of the accident only with the investigating CHP officer and your insurance carrier, says Howard Jennings of the Automobile Club of Southern California. He adds that drivers should report accidents to the Department of Motor Vehicles’ financial responsibility division as well as their insurance carrier.

IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN ON THE FREEWAY

DO:

- Turn on your four-way flashers and work your way over to the right-hand shoulder. Go to the center divider only if it’s impossible to reach the right. (If your emergency flashers don’t work, signal a right turn with your hand. “Wave your arm a little bit if you have to, cars will generally respond,” Maas said.)

- If your car blows a tire on the freeway, keep your foot off the accelerator and the brakes. Turn on your four-way flasher and carefully work your way off the freeway.

- Once you’re on the right shoulder and out of traffic, leave your flashers on, get out of the car and put up your hood.

- Using extreme caution, put out emergency flares or reflective triangles when possible. (“Know how to use the flares, it may be helpful to practice with them,” Maas said.) Those cardboard car shades with CALL POLICE on one side also inspire helpful motorists to report breakdowns, Maas said.

- In most cases, walk to the nearest call box--facing traffic--and pay attention to the call box numbers. That’s one of the first things the CHP operators will ask. The computer will tell the operator exactly where you are. Face traffic while you’re talking.

“Most of the time we suggest that you do not stay in the car (once you’ve pulled to the right shoulder). We suggest that you get out of the car and stay to the right rear as far away from the traffic lanes as you can,” Maas said.

But there may be circumstances when it is safer to stay in the car, he said. A lone woman stranded on an unknown stretch of road late at night, for instance, may want to put up the hood and place a few flares and then wait in the car with windows up and doors locked.

“If you are real leery, stay in the car with your seat belt on and wait for someone to stop. If someone stops, roll down the window a little, tell them what the problem is and ask them to contact the Highway Patrol . . . or an auto club.”

In counties where there are no call boxes, a decision on whether to walk off the freeway or not should be based on several factors, Maas said. “The greatest hazard is always traffic. Decide: Are you safer as a pedestrian or in your car?” If you decide to walk, “keep checking over your shoulder. If you can hop a fence onto a frontage road, do it. It’s safer than being on the freeway.”

DON’T:

- Change a tire or make repairs on the freeway. “The CHP would urge you to exit the freeway,” Maas said. “The tire is already ruined. The extra block or so you take to get off the freeway may save your life. Every year we have people killed making repairs on the shoulder. At least one CHP vehicle a month is rear-ended on the right shoulder somewhere in the state. And don’t ever attempt to change a tire in the traffic lanes.”

- Use the freeway for vehicle storage. By statute, a car is towable after four hours on the freeway. If the car poses any traffic hazard whatsoever, it will be towed immediately.

Tow your own car unless you know what you’re doing--that means using a tow bar with a rigid bar and safety chain.

Warning: Some tow companies won’t bring gas or change a tire. Most auto clubs will. If that’s all you need, tell the CHP operator. Make sure, too, you have a good spare tire.

IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN OR YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT AND CAN’T GET YOUR CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC

DO (usually):

- Place safety flares behind the vehicle if the traffic is stop-and-go and you can do so safely. “If traffic is moving rapidly, you may decide not to place flares,” Maas said.

- Stay in your car and make sure everyone is wearing seat belts. If you are reported as a traffic hazard, the CHP will give you top priority and respond quickly.

DON’T (usually):

- Try to sprint to the shoulder. “This is very, very tricky,” Maas said. “Most of the time, we’d recommend you stay in your car, because perception of how fast traffic is moving is very difficult to determine. If you clearly have a traffic break, I’d suggest you go to a call box on the right shoulder.” In any case, never go back to the car once you’ve walked to the shoulder. And, Maas said, “I would never take kids across freeway lanes.”

- Attempt to push the car out of traffic. “The biggest factor here is what the other traffic is doing. If you’re in stopped traffic, typical evening traffic, you may want to try pushing (the car to the shoulder). If the traffic is moving, don’t risk it. Common sense is going to enter into this.”

IF YOU’RE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WITH INJURIES

DO:

- Get off the freeway if you can, Maas advises. “The longer you’re out there, the longer you’re at risk of getting hit.”

- If you must remain on the freeway, wait as calmly as possible for the CHP and appropriate emergency vehicles to respond.

IF YOU SEE AN ACCIDENT

DO:

- Get off the freeway and call the CHP.

- Make quick mental notes about the exact location, which lanes are blocked, if there are injuries, and if the vehicles are on fire as you pass.

DON’T:

- Stop at the scene of the accident. “You’re going to add to the problem,” Maas said. “We suggest you get off the freeway and call the Highway Patrol at 911. If it’s a life-threatening situation and you feel something has to be done immediately, you may want to stop. But very rarely is that the case.”

BEFORE AND AFTER CAR TROUBLE OCCURS

- KPFK’s John Retsek--who also writes for numerous automotive publications and co-hosts a nationally syndicated radio car program--recommends carrying a “survival kit” including the name and location of a reputable mechanic and body shop--with a map of how to get there--in the car. He also recommends carrying a checklist of the simple things that could be wrong. “Is it out of gas? Is a fuse blown?” If you can determine that it’s something that simple, you can advise the CHP operator to tell the tow service and you may get help on the spot, he said.

- If you need towing, beware, Retsek warns. “It may sound brutal, but the basic thing you should do is pay the extra towing fee to get your vehicle somewhere you know is safe. You should be able to tell the person where you want to be towed and get a written estimate from the tow truck driver of how much it will cost to get there.

“The last thing you want to do is randomly pick a garage or body shop,” Retsek said. “It’s generally safe to take a car to an authorized dealership--not that a dealership is the best place to get a car fixed, usually it’s not. But at least you’ll know you’re not going to a snake pit. The second you get off the freeway, have the tow truck guy stop at a phone and look though the Yellow Pages.”

- You might also ask the CHP to recommend a shop, he suggests. Or, you can have your car towed to a legal parking area, then make arrangements to rent a trailer and tow it yourself or have the garage or body shop tow it--which may facilitate insurance billing.

“Towing is one of those options you’ll see more and more of” on insurance policies, he said, adding that he recommends joining an automobile club such as AAA or those offered by National and Allstate.

Most breakdowns or crackups can be prevented with proper maintenance and caution, Retsek said. “Far and away the major cause of freeway breakdown is running out of gas. Next is tire failure. So watch your tires. Watch for road hazards. And check your gas gauge,” he said.

In fact, at the CHP’s Los Angeles Communications Center, “You’re out of gas?” was among the more frequently repeated phrases on a recent Friday afternoon.

When a call comes in, the operators evaluate its urgency. In emergencies they can dispatch professionals ranging from fire and rescue units to animal control officers. When a CHP officer is required, they turn the call over to one of a dozen radio desk operators in the same room, who dispatch a total of 1,200 CHP officers from 13 offices.

Callers not reporting an injury accident or vehicles blocking traffic lanes are put on hold and may have to wait as long as 20 minutes when things get busy, operators said. When a caller does get through, the first thing they’re asked--in English or in Spanish--is the number of the call box. The operator keystrokes that in, and the computer system pinpoints the location of the box.

The operator then asks the nature of the problem and the make and color of the car. The few callers who reportedly answered “I don’t know, it’s stolen” received an expeditious response, Maas said.

If a caller belongs to an automobile club, the operators will connect him directly. They will also make collect calls to family or friends of stranded motorists.

“Everyone’s different. If I call a number and no one’s there, I’ll call another. I’m not going to make 20 calls, but I try to help out,” said June Baca, her words blending with the drone of questions being asked hot and harried callers standing at call boxes all over the county. “Tienes problemas con su caro? “”What year and color?” “Will they accept a collect call?”

And over in a corner of the room, Officer Jill Angel sat before a computer, sucking on throat lozenges and adding to the racket with on-air reports to 20 Southern California radio stations.

“Three . . . two . . . one . . . Good evening! . . . there’s lots of congestion on the 57 . .” she announced to KRTH listeners, in the sort of cheerful, soothing voice that makes gridlocked drivers pound their heads on the steering wheel.