Communication has become a lot more convenient as smartphones and faster cellular technology has changed the communications market, but there are still outage risks that can happen at the worst times. You can keep yourself safe even in the most remote locations in the United States, but it helps to have a few backup plans and emergency communications to get towing and rescue services on your trail as soon as possible. Before heading out, consider a few of these trip-planning ideas that incorporate blackouts, outages, and loss of power during a breakdown.
Getting Stranded with a Bad Phone Situation Can Happen
Pay phones are relics now. On the realistic chance that some younger readers have no idea why that matters, for the record, pay phones were stationed kiosks or poles with phones that could dial out with a few cents in payment (or a few dollars, depending on how far across the country the call was). Cell phones and smartphones have made the pay-phone culture obsolete, and many remote pay-phone locations are no longer available.
Unfortunately, you can still break down in those areas.
If you're stranded for long enough, there are two rescue risks to keep in mind: phone battery power and call signal. Smartphones simply aren't as long-lived as cell phones because of the higher system demand on these handheld computers with small phone features, so as you wait for rescue, your phone may turn off as the power runs out.
Some long-haul roads are sources of driver distress, either because of temperature extremes or road conditions. It's unfortunately fairly easy to break down in a place that coincidentally lacks any commercial cellular service, meaning that you can't call out.
Mapping Safe Routes and Call Zones
Don't just rely on a phone's mapping system to get to your destination. This may seem a bit outdated, but a paper map can be helpful when plotting out areas that have no cellular service in order to know you will be at risk and for how long.
Websites (including web app services) such as Opensignal can be used to find areas that are not only permanently out but also may be having intermittent outages or weak signals. If your trip goes through the outage area, knowing the outage area can help you figure out which way you need to walk for the shortest distance to a signal. It will also help you make your way back to your car if you have to go too far and have the general area mapped out.
Towing services can be called when you're in range, but that's assuming your phone's continued battery power. To get around the long drain of battery power, don't just play around with energy-conservation settings. Consider purchasing a backup battery pack—an enclosure with a power-regulating board and multiple batteries inside—to give you extra power if your fun trip will have a lot of power-draining usage.
With all the right communications support tools, be sure to have a reliable towing service in your contacts on all devices during the trip. You won't have to flip through different searches and wonder about their quality if you do your research before the trip. Contact a towing professional to discuss their services, rates, and national partners.
Visit sites such as http://www.dattagetowingandautorepair.com to find companies that can help you in various areas.
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