If you're ever in a situation where you have to get your car towed, it's always best to get a towing company to pick up your vehicle rather than getting it towed by a friend who has a tow chain, for example. Here are some of the differences between the two.

A Tow Truck Driver Will Get This Task Over With Much Faster Than Your Friend Ever Could

Even if they try their best, your friend almost certainly won't be able to work as quickly as the employee of a towing company, and will probably take much longer to not only set up the towing equipment and get going, but also to deliver your car to your home or a mechanic. There are multiple reasons why the tow truck driver will work faster. Firstly, a typical tow truck driver might tow dozens of vehicles every month and hundreds throughout their career. Conversely, your friend may have only used their tow chain a handful of times. As such, the tow truck driver could potentially be quicker at loading the car onto their truck, whereas your friend might spend, for example, 30 minutes or more working out how to secure your car to theirs with their equipment.

Secondly, the driver of the tow truck will also be able to take your car to your specified destination far faster than your friend could. This is because your car will be loaded onto their truck's trailer, instead of being connected via a chain, and so the tow driver will not have to drive any slower than they usually would to keep your vehicle or theirs stable. Conversely, if your friend secures your car to theirs with a tow chain, they'll probably need to drive at a much slower pace (particularly when turning corners) to ensure your car doesn't swing to the side and take their vehicle with them, due to them driving too fast.

A Tow Truck Driver Will Be Better at Keeping Your Car and You Safe

The other key difference between your friend attempting to help you and a tow truck driver assisting you is that the latter will be better able to keep your car and you safe. Having towed many vehicles before, they will be able to see if your broken-down car is in a position where it's likely to be hit by a motorist. If it is, they might manually push the car into a safer nearby spot before they begin loading it onto their own truck. Conversely, if your friend is unfamiliar with the hazards that come with breaking down on a busy road, they might not even think to take this precaution, and this could put you, them and your car at risk of being hit by a motorist.

Likewise, a tow truck driver will always double-check that your car is stable on their truck's trailer and that the trailer's barrier is fully secured before they take off. Your friend, however, who is unused to this process and unfamiliar with all of the hazards of towing, might be more likely to forget to check that the towing equipment is in usable condition or that it's fully secured your vehicle to theirs. This could lead to the chain breaking or detaching from your car whilst your friend is trying to tow it.

Consider hiring a towing service near you for more information.