Guide · Breakdown safety

Car breakdown safety in Victoria

Illustrative scene of a car parked near a suburban shopping strip.

If your car breaks down, your safety comes before arranging a tow. If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 000. Once you are safe, call TP Towing on 0469 929 029 with your exact location and we will tell you whether we can help.

This guide gives general steps only. The safest choice depends on where the car has stopped and the traffic around it. It does not cover road crashes, which follow separate arrangements.

Call for Towing — 0469 929 029

Where you have stopped changes what is safest

There is no single rule for every breakdown. Use your judgement about traffic and follow any directions from police or emergency services.

If you can still move the car
Try to get it off the road or as far from moving traffic as you can, such as a side street, car park or emergency stopping lane. Turn on your hazard lights.
If getting out is safe
Leave on the side away from traffic and wait well clear of the road, behind a barrier if there is one. Take passengers with you.
If getting out is not safe
Stay inside with your seatbelt on, keep the hazard lights on and call for help.
On a freeway or high-speed road
Do not stand near traffic or walk along the road to find help. Call from where you are.
If anyone is hurt or at risk
Call 000 first.
Who else to call
A roadside assistance provider if you have membership, or a towing operator once you are safe.

Do not attempt roadside repairs near traffic

Leave mechanical checks for a safe location. If the car needs towing, the cost depends on the job: see Towing costs and quote details.

Arranging a tow once you are safe

Illustrative scene of a tow truck and passenger car in an industrial parking area at dusk.

When you are away from traffic, these details help any towing operator, including TP Towing, assess the job.

  1. Confirm your location

    Street address, or the road, nearest cross street or exit, and direction of travel.

  2. Describe the problem

    Make and model, and whether the car starts, rolls and steers. Mention warning lights, smoke or fluid leaks.

  3. Say where it should go

    A mechanic, home or another address.

  4. Get an answer before you rely on it

    We tell you whether we can take the job, our current availability and the quote. It is booked only when you accept and we confirm.

Breakdown safety questions

Get yourself and any passengers as safe as the situation allows, and call 000 if anyone is hurt or in danger. Then note your exact location and the vehicle details. If the car needs moving urgently, see emergency towing; for a planned collection, request a towing quote.

It depends on the traffic around you. Off the road, in a car park or on a quiet street, waiting near the car away from the roadway is usually reasonable.

Near fast or heavy traffic, the aim is to keep people away from moving vehicles: wait well clear and behind a barrier if you can get out safely, or stay inside with your seatbelt on if you cannot. Follow any directions from police or emergency services.

Need a tow after a breakdown?

Once you are safe, call 0469 929 029. Mobile towing enquiries are taken 24/7; onsite visiting hours at the Aintree base are separate. A call is an enquiry, not a confirmed booking or arrival time. In an emergency, call 000.

Call for Towing — 0469 929 029Request a towing quote
Business
TP Towing Pty Ltd
ABN
91 686 956 865
Phone
0469 929 029
Mobile towing
Mobile towing enquiries 24/7
Base
2 Arbourton Avenue, Aintree VIC 3336