The working experiences of a recovery driver can be fraught with problems, to say the least. When you break down, and call whatever motoring organisation you belong to, you really need to have your vehicle moved as quickly as possible to avoid the risk of a collision, or worse!

This is where you, the vehicle owner, can help in speeding up the process. Here, I'll tell you how.

(1) Know where you are - Don't take a wild guess at your location. The amount of time wasted looking in incorrect locations also uses fuel (on average 18 mpg., which equates as roughly 3.7 miles per litre). Take note of any roadside marker posts, as they will help considerably, along with nearby junctions and route numbers. Any nearby buildings may also help identify your location.

(2) Hold your call until you have this information; the recovery services are happy to assist you, but powerless unless they know where you are.

(3) If you possess a vehicle that has been structurally altered, we need to know about it! Recovery vehicles come in several different formats, and have widely differing capabilities accordingly. What do I mean about structural alterations? These would include body styling kits, lowered suspension, non-standard wheels etc. Whilst looking "the business", all of these provide problems for a recovery driver. The lowered suspension and specialist wheels were never meant to be fitted to a standard production car, leaving minimal clearances. It may look great, but may mean a whole world of trouble if your car won't go!

Body styling kits are the biggest pain! If you cannot afford to have the job done professionally (with allowance for little things like towing eyes), don't do it! This is the major reason for refusing to even touch such modified cars - the recovery driver cannot be expected to move something that cannot be moved without causing damage. Such was the case when I attended a Ford Focus recently - as pretty as a picture (and lower than a Porsche 944), but impossible to recover without a de-mountable!

The next two tips concern all car owners - these could save your license, or your life!

(4) Ensure your safety by avoiding alighting from the vehicle into the path of on-coming traffic, and stay a safe distance from your car - particularly when on motorway hard shoulders, but do not leave it; that is taken in a dim light by the police, who may well prosecute!

Hopefully, this will serve as a guideline to the custom car fraternity; it's not that we don't want to help, we just don't want to risk damage to your pride and joy!

(5)VSOE officers are a comparatively new item on Britain's highways - though they might not look as official as police, they have similar powers. It is an offence to fail to act on their instructions; a useful tip for all motorists!

Happy motoring!

© RIYAN Productions

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