Prepare Against Phone Drain And Outages During Road Emergencies

Emergency planning is becoming increasingly dependent on technology. There are many conveniences that can bring your away from an emergency situation and into a safe have after a car failure, snow storm or other stranded situation. If you're relying on smartphones for emergency contact, you'll need to make sure that your devices will work when they're needed the most. Take a look at a few emergency planning pitfalls and ways to defend yourself against total roadside disaster by using and maintaining your mobile technology.  

Don't Take Your Phone's Battery For Granted

For many phone users, smartphone batteries are likely to drain a lot faster than the more basic "flip phone" or "brick phone" styles. This is because smartphones are actually handheld personal computers with a small phone radio. There's a lot more going on with these devices, and standard batteries aren't expected to last more than a day on a single charge.

It's time to get acquainted with your phone's applications and processes. Avoiding unnecessary games, music or movies is a start, but you need to know about background processes that may be draining your battery. 

App designers are not all professionals, so you may have a few lingering processes that need to be turned off with either Android or iPhone background techniques. The exact steps and menu locations can be different depending on the specific phone model, they're usually in the same general area. If in doubt, uninstall any offending apps for the time being.  

Although car trouble can be an emergency situation, it doesn't mean you need to jump at the first available service without shopping around. You'll need a few extra batteries to make sure that you can do the proper research for the best outcome, and you'll need a few other plans in place as well. 

Batteries, Local Services And Outages

Packing extra batteries for your smartphone or other mobile devices is a good first step, but you'll need to take care of them properly. Just putting the batteries in the change holder or any random place in the car could result in overheating if the batteries are in direct sunlight, or if you're driving around during the hotter months. 

A simple plan of packing extra batteries can turn into a fizzling mess as overheated batteries explode with a pop and drip of the internal acid. Get a dark case that can be zipped or closed with a clasp to protect the batteries, and consider storing them under the car seats.

With your backup batteries in a safe place, you can look for a towing company that can assist you. It's a good idea to know which services are available in different legs of your travels, but it's understandable that you won't be able to plan specific companies for every mile of your trip. A single company can advice you on who to call and how to be prepared for towing in different areas.

There's a chance that your trip may go through areas without cell service. Cell service map sites can help you plan around these areas in case you need to walk a bit to get a signal. Contact a towing company (such as Country City Towing) to discuss towing and repair services beforehand, just to make sure that someone is on your side during an emergency breakdown.