We pick up a lot of cars from the shoulder of I-65, and the scariest part is never the car – it’s how close people stand to 70-mph traffic while they wait. Here is what we tell every driver who calls us from the interstate.
1. Get as far off the road as you can
If the car still rolls, keep going to the next exit ramp or at least to a wide part of the shoulder, away from curves and the crest of hills where drivers behind you can’t see you. Turn on the hazard lights as soon as something feels wrong.
2. Get out on the passenger side – and away from the car
Getting out into the traffic lane is how people get hurt. Climb out on the passenger side and wait behind the guardrail or up the bank, not in front of or behind the car. If a vehicle hits your car, you don’t want to be next to it.
The exception: if there is no safe place to stand – a narrow bridge, for example – it can be safer to stay buckled in with the hazards on. Call 911 if your car is stopped in a travel lane.
3. Find out exactly where you are
- Direction: northbound (toward Birmingham) or southbound (toward Montgomery).
- Mile marker: the small green signs on the shoulder. Around Calera the exit numbers match the mile markers, so “mile 226 southbound” tells us you are two miles past the Calera exit.
- Last exit or landmark: “just past the Peach Tower” or “before the airport exit” helps too.
Not sure where you are? Open the map app on your phone – it shows your position, the nearest exit and the road name you can read to us.
4. Make the calls
Call the tow company – that’s us at (205) 668-0298 if you are between Clanton and Pelham. If you have roadside coverage through your insurance or a motor club, call them too and ask whether they reimburse a local tow. If you were in a crash, the state troopers handle the interstate; call 911.
5. When the tow truck arrives
We park behind you with our lights on, which gives you a little protection from traffic. Stay where you are until we wave you over. Grab what you need from the car – phone charger, medicine, kids’ things, anything valuable – because the car may sit at a shop for a few days.
6. Where to next?
If you’re local, we take the car to your shop or home. If you’re traveling, ask us – we know the shops in Calera and Alabaster, and you can ride with us in the tow truck. We have driven stranded families to the rental car counter more than once.
