San Diego has some of the busiest freeway shoulders in the country. I-5 through downtown, I-15 through the inland corridor, I-8 over the grade, I-805 along the border — every one of them sees a dozen breakdowns a day, and every year dozens of people get seriously hurt trying to do the right thing on the shoulder. Here’s the sequence that keeps you safe.

Minute 1: Get off the travel lane

If the car will still move and there’s an exit within a mile, take the exit. A dead battery that cranks weakly will usually get you off the freeway. A flat tire will survive a mile of limp-mode driving if you keep it under 30 mph and stay off the shoulder. A check-engine light or overheating alert gets at least a mile before it matters.

An exit onto a surface street is 10x safer than the shoulder.

If you can’t make an exit, aim for the widest possible shoulder. The right shoulder on I-5 through SD is 10 feet wide. The right shoulder on I-15 narrows to 6 feet in some spots. Cross traffic to the right shoulder if it’s wider than the left. In a real emergency — imminent fire, brake failure, engine smoke — stop wherever you can and call 911 before a tow.

Minute 2: Hazards on, position the car

  • Turn on hazard lights immediately. Not after you stop, while you’re still rolling to a stop.
  • Steer as far right (or left) on the shoulder as possible. Every foot matters. Tuck the car against the guardrail or wall.
  • Turn the front wheels toward the shoulder. If the car gets rear-ended, you don’t want it launched into traffic.
  • Leave the engine running if you can. Running engine means running hazards. If the battery is dead, switch the headlights on — any light is better than none.

Minute 3: Stay in the car. Stay in the car. Stay in the car.

This is where most injuries happen. People get out to “check the damage,” stand behind the open trunk, or try to change a tire on the traffic side of the vehicle.

Don’t.

  • If you are on an interstate freeway shoulder in SD, stay inside the vehicle with seatbelts on.
  • Seatbelts on in case of rear-end impact.
  • Do not stand on the traffic side of the car. Period.
  • Do not try to change a flat tire on the traffic side.
  • Do not walk along the shoulder unless you are 100% certain there is no safe way to wait.

Vehicles pass you at 70+ mph three feet from your door. The safest place is the drivers seat.

Minute 4: Call for help

In this order:

  1. 911 if there’s any injury, fire, smoke, or immediate danger. CHP will respond.
  2. #399 from any cell phone for non-emergency CHP on California freeways. They can dispatch FSP (Freeway Service Patrol) or route a tow.
  3. Your insurance/motor club if you have roadside coverage. They’ll dispatch a tow.
  4. A private tow company if you don’t have coverage. Call a dispatcher who can confirm truck type and ETA on the phone.

Have these ready when you call:

  • Your exact location. Mile marker (on the green shoulder signs) is best. “Southbound I-5 at mile 16.2” pinpoints you. “Near the Genesee exit” is second best.
  • Which direction you’re traveling (north, south, east, west)
  • Vehicle year, make, model
  • What happened (dead battery, flat, engine, accident)

Minute 5-6: Deploy a triangle — if safe

If you have a roadside emergency triangle and the shoulder is wide enough to stand safely 30+ feet behind your car, deploy it. That buys other drivers 200 extra feet of warning.

If the shoulder is narrow or you’d be standing near traffic, skip this step. A triangle isn’t worth your life.

Never try to “wave drivers over” with a flashlight or shirt. Drivers at 70 mph don’t process those signals. A triangle with reflective tape does.

Minutes 7-10: Wait safely

  • Stay buckled. Leave the engine running. Keep hazards on.
  • Lock the doors on both sides. Crack a window on the non-traffic side if you need air.
  • Check mirrors every 30 seconds. If traffic behind you is slowing too late, you can honk and flash high beams as a warning. Most freeway rear-ends on shoulders happen because a distracted driver doesn’t see a parked car until they’re on top of it.
  • Keep your phone charged. The dispatcher will call back with updates; missing the call can add 30 minutes to your wait.

What to tell the tow driver when they arrive

The driver will pull up in front of or behind you with their work lights on. When they arrive:

  • Stay in the car until they come to your window.
  • They’ll walk through the situation with you — vehicle year/make/model, where it’s going, how you’re paying.
  • Roll the window down to talk; don’t get out on the traffic side. They’ll either come to you or direct you to their cab.
  • They’ll load the car with soft straps (flatbed) or wheel-lift yoke. Most standard FWD sedan hookups take 5–8 minutes on a shoulder; flatbed on AWD/EV runs 10–15.

During loading, you can get out on the non-traffic side only and stand well off the shoulder — up on the grass or berm beyond the white line. Watch from there, not from behind the car.

Red flags for unsafe shoulder tows

A legit tow operator won’t:

  • Ask you to help push, steer, or signal from the traffic side
  • Tell you to step onto the shoulder
  • Refuse to use soft straps on your AWD or EV (“chains are fine” — no they aren’t)
  • Quote you a different price at the shoulder than what dispatch said

Push back. If anything feels off, call dispatch and ask for a different driver.

After the tow

Get to a safe surface-street lot. From there:

  • Verify the destination is correct (shop, dealer, home address)
  • Photograph the vehicle again — all four sides
  • Get the driver’s ID, company name, and receipt
  • Call your insurance to document the tow for reimbursement if applicable

One number to save in your phone

SD County 24/7 towing: (619) 714-6300. Not because we want all the calls — but because if you don’t have a number before you need it, you end up Googling from the shoulder, which is its own danger.

Whatever company you save, make sure:

  • They answer live, 24/7
  • They’ll quote flat on the phone
  • They’ll tell you which truck is coming and why

Save ours now so it’s there when you need it.