Getting your car stuck in a ditch is an unpleasant experience that you naturally want to resolve as soon as possible. You might be tempted to have a friend, relative or a driver passing by pull the car out with their own vehicle. This is almost always a bad idea, however, for a number of reasons. Using a professional towing service is virtually always preferable. The following article takes a close look at this issue. 

Road Safety 

A driver who is not a professional will typically need to be perpendicular to the road to have any chance of pulling your vehicle out of the ditch. This creates a safety hazard, as it increases the chances that a passing car could strike the vehicle doing the towing or your car. A professional tow driver, however, will have the equipment and training necessary to remove the car from the ditch while keeping the tow truck parallel to the road. This greatly reduces the possibility of an accident with any passing vehicle. 

Also, a professional tow truck will have special lights and flares, as well as cones, to warn any approaching vehicle to slow down. The driver may also have reflective clothing to improve safety at the scene even more. 

Hooking Up 

An amateur who attempts to hook up your car to their vehicle may unintentionally cause damage. Unless someone is properly trained in proper towing techniques, they can easily cause damage to your suspension or other parts of your car by hooking up a rope or cable incorrectly.  

A professional tow driver will know where to hook up a cable so that your vehicle is not harmed as it's pulled out. 

Driveable 

Once your car has been pulled from the ditch, it might not be driveable and attempting to drive it might risk serious damage. A friend or passerby who pulls your car out will not be able to tell you if it can be driven safely. A trained tow truck driver, however, will know if driving your vehicle is a good idea or not. If your car cannot be driven safely, then the towing service can simply take it to the nearest repair shop. 

Insurance 

If anything untoward happens when the car is being pulled out, then you don't want to involved in a situation where the driver of the towing vehicle is uninsured or underinsured. A professional towing service will be fully insured so that you are financially protected no matter what happens. 

If your vehicle ever falls into a ditch for any reason, avoid having anyone other than a trained and experienced towing professional handle the job. For more information about recovering your stuck car, contact a company like Parkway Wrecker Service.