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How do I tow a car out of a ditch?
I live in an area with rural roads that are rarely maintained or plowed. I don’t have four-wheel drive, so I’m always concerned about getting stuck in a ditch. If I were to get stuck, how do I tow a car out of a ditch?
Eric Schad · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Getting stuck in a ditch is a scary thought, but it happens to even the most experienced drivers. But as long as you know where to attach the straps or winch, have a quality strap or winch, and pull from an angle, you can get a car out rather quickly.
The first trick is to pull the car out from an angle. Somewhat logically, many people believe that pulling a car forward or back in a straight line is the only way to pull a car out of a ditch. However, pulling at a slight angle from the rear can get the stuck vehicle back on the road more quickly. Shoot for a 30-to-45-degree angle.
A kinetic rope with some stretch is ideal to pull a car out of a ditch, but any strap that’s rated for towing the weight of the stuck car will suffice.
Attach the rope or strap to the front or rear recovery points located near the bumpers. Consult your owner’s manual to make sure you are connecting the rope to the proper points.
Never attach the rope to a trailer hitch; this can break off and cause injury or even death.
The towing vehicle should give a bit of gas while the person in the stuck car should fire up the engine and put the vehicle in neutral. When towing, the tow vehicle should go in short bursts until the vehicle is out of the ditch.
If you don’t have a car to tow you out of the ditch, you may want to consider
towing and labor coverage
with your car insurance or roadside assistance through Jerry.With
Jerry
, you get leading roadside assistance that connects you with their nationwide network of over 55,000 service providers. A membership includes services like towing, jumpstarts, key replacements, and lockouts and costs as little as $4.16 a month!View full answer
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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