You are on your way towards your destination but suddenly, panic strikes! The low fuel sign is begging you to feed the car. There’s less fuel in your tank and this has severely affected your state of mind. Does this seem familiar? Drivers at some point in time have faced such a situation or have been perilously close to being in one.
In case you want to avoid being in the panic mode, read ahead to know how to handle a situation where your car is running out of fuel.
Keep calm and drive
Yes, the empty fuel sign can be scary. However, your car hasn’t stopped yet, has it? This means it has fuel. Which also means that you can continue your journey. It is important to keep calm in such a scenario as it will help you to think. It will also help to focus on the road ahead. Remember, you still have to stay alert and follow all the traffic rules while you are driving. Driving with a low fuel tank doesn’t give you the right to overlook traffic rules.
Time for a treasure hunt
Low fuel warning means you need to refuel. Fuel in such a scenario is nothing less than treasure and every search for treasure begins with a treasure map. If your car is low on fuel while you are in a familiar area, you know where the fuel station is located. However, if you are in an unfamiliar location, the maps on your mobile phone might come in handy. Check out for the nearest fuel station and drive towards it even if you have to move away from your route. Rerouting is better than getting stranded. You can also ask around for the nearest fuel station.
Avoid traffic, don’t start-stop
Maps will also highlight traffic, avoid high-traffic routes, it will save those precious drops of fuel from burning. Roads with high-traffic demand your car to be driven in a start-stop manner. This takes a toll on the car and it needs more fuel. It is suggested to look for an alternate route that has low traffic if your car is low on fuel.
Turn off the AC
Cars generally consume more fuel when their air conditioning is switched on. The car’s engine has to work extra when the AC is on, this means it needs more fuel. In such cases, fuel consumption can increase by almost 15~20%. Turning off the AC might increase the temperature inside the car but it will help to reduce fuel consumption.
No revving the engine
Unnecessary revving the engine will increase its fuel consumption. Your gear changing and accelerating has to be in sync in order to save fuel. This way, the car’s engine will not face a heavy load.
What to do in case of car breakdown?
In case you fail in your attempts to conserve fuel and your car breaks down, you will have to abandon your car, visit the petrol pump either by hitchhiking or through other means of transport, get fuel and refuel your car. However, if you have an extensive Comprehensive Car Insurance policy with the Roadside Assistance cover, you do not have to make any effort to get your car back on track.
You can simply call the four wheeler insurance company from where you purchased your car insurance policy and request them for roadside assistance. They might arrange for fuel or manage the situation with the help of a towing service. Your car can breakdown because of lots of issues and towing service can be extremely helpful in such cases.