Our drivers spend their days on the side of Atlanta’s highways, in parking lots, and on shoulders where cars are moving past just a few feet away. Over time, that vantage point teaches you things most drivers never think about, because most drivers only deal with a breakdown once every few years. Our team deals with it every single day.
Here’s what our drivers wish more people knew, both for their own safety and for a smoother experience when help arrives.
Move Over. It’s the Law, and It’s the One That Matters Most.
If there’s one thing every tow truck driver wishes every driver understood, it’s this one. Georgia’s Move Over Law requires drivers approaching a stopped tow truck, emergency vehicle, or utility vehicle with flashing lights to either change lanes away from it or slow down significantly if changing lanes isn’t possible. It’s not a suggestion. It’s O.C.G.A. § 40-6-16, and violating it can mean a fine up to $500 and points added to your license.
The law exists because the danger is real. Roadside workers, including tow operators, are struck by passing vehicles with enough regularity that Georgia keeps strengthening enforcement around it. One tow operator in the state, reflecting on more than two decades in the business, said drivers used to move over almost universally when he started; that’s no longer the case the way it once was. National data backs that up too, with roughly one in three drivers nationwide not complying with move-over laws at all.
Every driver assumes the tow truck driver on the shoulder is safe because they do this for a living. What keeps them safe isn’t experience, it’s the driver going past giving them room.
Stay In Your Car, Buckled, Until We Tell You Otherwise
It feels instinctive to get out and check on your car, pop the hood, or stand near the road to flag down help. That instinct is one of the more dangerous things you can act on. Standing beside a car on the shoulder, especially at night or during rush hour, puts you directly in the path of anything that drifts even slightly toward the shoulder.
If your car is drivable enough to pull safely off the road, do it, then stay inside with your seatbelt on until your tow truck arrives or a responder tells you it’s safe to exit. If you must get out, exit from the side away from traffic, not the driver’s side facing the road.
Tell Us Exactly Where You Are, Not Just Where You Think You Are
GPS pins and app-based location sharing help, but they aren’t always accurate, especially on stacked highways, near interchanges, or in areas with limited cell signal. When you call, the most useful thing you can give us isn’t just an address, it’s a mile marker, an exit number, a direction of travel, or a landmark you can actually see from where you’re sitting.
“I’m on 285” covers dozens of miles. “I’m on 285 westbound, just past the Ashford Dunwoody exit, in the right shoulder” gets a truck to you faster, because it removes the guesswork.
Turn Your Wheels Away From Traffic
If you’re stopped on a shoulder or incline, turning your steering wheel away from the road, so your front tires point toward the guardrail or grass rather than back into traffic, is a small habit that matters more than most drivers realize. If your car were to get bumped from behind, wheels turned away from traffic send the car off the road instead of into it. It costs nothing and takes two seconds.
Hazards On Immediately, Even Before You’ve Fully Stopped
The moment you sense trouble, hazards go on. Not after you’ve pulled over, not after you’ve assessed the problem, immediately. Other drivers need as much warning as possible that something ahead of them isn’t moving the way traffic normally does, and every second of advance notice reduces risk.
Let Us Make the Call on Flatbed Tow Truck vs. Wheel-Lift Tow Truck
Drivers sometimes have a strong opinion about how their car should be towed, often based on what’s fastest or what a friend told them once. Our drivers make that call based on your specific vehicle, its drivetrain, and its condition, not preference. If a driver tells you your car needs a flatbed instead of a standard tow, it’s because towing it the other way risks real damage, not because it’s more convenient for us.
Have Basic Information Ready Before We Arrive
Knowing your vehicle’s make, model, and roughly what’s wrong (or what you noticed right before it stopped) helps our driver bring the right equipment the first time. If you have a spare tire, knowing where it’s stored saves time. If you’re driving something unusual, like an EV, a lifted truck, or an all-wheel-drive vehicle, mentioning that upfront changes which truck gets sent.
We’re Not Judging You
Every driver we help is having a bad moment, a dead battery, a flat tire, a car that just stopped working for no obvious reason. Our drivers have seen every version of it, more times than they can count. Nobody shows up thinking less of you for needing a tow. If anything, the calmest, easiest calls to handle are the ones where the driver focuses on staying safe and lets us handle the rest.
The Bottom Line
Most of what tow truck drivers wish people knew isn’t complicated. Move over, stay safe inside your car, give us a clear location, and trust the equipment call. Those small things make a real difference, both in how quickly we can help you and in keeping everyone on the road a little safer.
If you’re stranded anywhere in Metro Atlanta, our drivers are ready to help, and they’ll always tell you exactly what they’re doing and why.