When you’re stranded waiting for an emergency towing service, setting out road flares can help keep you and other motorists safe. Useful after sundown and in low-visibility situations, these flammable sticks provide steady, bright light that alerts other drivers of the road hazard ahead. Here’s how to use them to improve safety after a breakdown.

How to Safely Use Road Flares

1. Pick the Right Location First

Before lighting the flares, find a safe place to position them. Look for sites free of combustible materials, such as dry grass and gasoline. Find the flattest area possible so the stick can’t roll around. Some flares come with caps that help them remain stable on uneven surfaces, but you should never place them anywhere where they might slip out of position. 

Aim to place a flare 100 feet behind the vehicle to give traffic plenty of time to react to the hazard alert. If the accident site is located just around a curve, place a flare 100 feet ahead of the car to warn oncoming vehicles.

2. Light Properly 

To light a flare, remove the cap from the ignition end. Doing this will expose something like a matchhead. Hold the ignition end facing away from your body and strike it against the rough pad on the top of the cap. The flare should light up immediately. Once it’s burning, place the cap on the unlit end.

3. Handle With Care

Flares contain live flames and should be treated with the same caution as a lit match. Carry them lit side down, as far away from your body and clothing as possible. They may spit sparks as they burn, and keeping this distance minimizes the chances of burns or damage to attire. When placing the flares in the road, set them down slowly and ensure they stay in place before fully releasing them. Dropping or throwing them can cause them to break or spray flames unpredictably.

4. Extinguish Flares Before Leaving

Once the emergency towing service has arrived and hooked up to your vehicle, take a moment to extinguish and collect the flares. Smothering flares is ineffective, so either douse them in water or break off any unburnt sections and wait for the stubs to self-extinguish. Avoid handling the top of the flare or placing it against combustible materials, as it will still be hot.

If you need emergency towing, contact Craig’s Towing & Repair in La Crosse, WI. Serving Baraboo, La Crosse, Lake Delton, and Wisconsin Dells with local and long-distance towing, they offer fast, 24/7 roadside help. Their skilled technicians are friendly and equipped to safely provide assistance no matter what situation you’ve found yourself in. Call (608) 784-1638 to reach their emergency line, or learn more about their towing services online.