Breaking down on the motorway

[Wicksey]

The other weekend we were on the way to Malaga train station to catch my AVE to Madrid when we had a tyre blowout. Luckily we were able to safely drive onto the minimally sized hard shoulder. When I rang for the grua I couldn't really say where I was. There was a sliproad running parallel to the motorway with a sign to Macharaviaya but it wasn't a numbered motorway exit. The lady on the phone said she couldn't find it on her computer and I was running up and down the hard shoulder like a mad woman looking for any sign of where we were, to no avail.

I was desperate for a taxi to take me to the station so I didn't miss my train, but all she kept saying was that she couldn't help me unless I could give her a motorway junction exit.

Thank goodness a taxi happened to come along that sliproad and stop for me. He said we were at Chilches and she seemed happy with that. I had to then leave my poor OH at the side of the road and get off to the station. The grua man rang my phone about 10 minutes later and asked where we were so I told him the same and he did eventually turn up. Amazingly, instead of taking our car to the garage he simply changed the tyre at the side of the motorway which I thought was illegal. As part of the car was sticking out into the road as the hard shoulder was too narrow, it was a pretty dangerous thing to do.

On the way home I looked carefully at the motorway and couldn't really see any markers to say where you are. There are some long stretches between junctions so how do you know where you are if you didn't notice the last exit you've passed, particularly if you are in a strange area? I did turn on the satnav but I was in such a panic and was struggling to hear on the phone due to the traffic noise I didn't get a chance to look at it. My OH said he couldn't see the screen in the sunshine and there was no way we were going to sit in the car to look at it. I said about turning on my location on my mobile, but the breakdown service said they couldn't access that info. I said I was shortly before Rincon on the motorway but they just seemed to want a more accurate address.

It could have all been much worse as the tyre was completely shredded (and it has only just passed its ITV and was in good condition) and luckily the car drove normally on the remaining 3 wheels! What with all our flight cancellation hassle and expense a couple of weeks back, our trips away are turning out to be quite stressful and expensive as we had to then buy 2 new tyres (as they couldn't match the spare at the garage) so another 230€ to pay out Oh well, at least I had a brilliant time in Madrid

[gerryh]

Don't know which insurance company you are with but Linea Directa claim that they can locate your exact position via GPS.
Haven't needed to try it out yet.
Cheers
Gerry

[Beachcomber]

Kilometre distances are marked at every kilometre on all Spanish roads and a letter A or B indicating the direction of travel on motorways.

I think there are supposed to be smaller kilometre post indications every 100 metres on a motorway but I have never stopped on one to check.

The junction numbers are the same as the nearest km marker.

[Wicksey]

I'm with Liberty Seguros Gerry.

Beachcomber I came back from Malaga by bus and was looking for something similar as I came along the motorway and apart from the very occasional orange km marker I didn't see anything like that. I have just been looking on Google streetview and cannot see any along the stretch near to Rincon and Chilches. It's not an experience I would like to repeat!

[El Cid]

Don't know which insurance company you are with but Linea Directa claim that they can locate your exact position via GPS.
Haven't needed to try it out yet.
Cheers
Gerry

I don't see how it is technically possible to do that without having a GPS in the car.

The latest eCall systems which are now fitted to all new cars do have a built in GPS to enable the car's position to be sent directly to the emergency services in the case of an accident.

Sid

[Lyric]

Don't these little rascals have a number and an arrow to the nearest phone ?

[gerryh]

I don't see how it is technically possible to do that without having a GPS in the car.

Sid

Don't smartphones, which most people have, have GPS built in?
No idea how Linea Directa achieve it but I have seen it claimed in their adverts that they can locate you wherever you are.
Cheers
Gerry

[Parilla]

Yes Gerry, it works.

Parilla

[costakid]

I know that junction very well and it is quite an unusual junction. I am surprised you didn’t know where you were if your from the area. Most motorway exits are much of a muchness but that one is unusual in its layout.

[El Cid]

Don't smartphones, which most people have, have GPS built in?
No idea how Linea Directa achieve it but I have seen it claimed in their adverts that they can locate you wherever you are.
Cheers
Gerry

Yes, it could work if you had a smartphone with GPS but I still don't see how LD can access it without you allowing them to do so - lots of major privacy concerns if they could! Also, I'm not sure that Google Maps or Apple maps give you your GPS co-ordinates directly. Your onboard Navigator might do that but it depends on the individual unit.

It is possible to locate a mobile phone though, the police do that all the time - maybe that's how they do it but it isnt as accurate as GPS.

Sid

[Manchesteral]

It's also possible to locate you through your cell phone !

[El Cid]

Yes, I just said that. However the ability to do that is mainly for the police or security sevices. Anything else would be a total invasion of privacy. I doubt that you would give a third party the permission to do that .


Sid

[gerryh]

Parilla's reply earlier says the system works.
Like you, don't know quite how it works.
Perhaps Parilla can tell us what he/she had to do to let Linea Directa have the location.
Cheers
Gerry

[Beachcomber]

You call via their mobile application. You accept the privacy implications when you accept the terms and conditions. Location would need to be activated for this to work as it does with Alert Cops and other similar apps.

[El Cid]

So, no they cannot locate you, but you can send them your location - not quite the same.

Of course it assumes you have a smartphone and have the app.

It does look useful, I will give it a try. I do have Alert Cops.

Sid

[markwilding]

You can send your location using the whatsapp application. Very easy and useful.

[El Cid]

Do Linea Directa use Whatsapp?

Sid

[fincalospinos]

In most modern cars with a built in GPS and mapping systems, you can find your location on the screen This also applies to TomTom and similar devices.

[Parilla]

When you phone them, they send you an SMS to which you reply authorising them to locate you. They do that and pass the info to a grua - in my case I I also received two SMSs from the grua saying firstly he was on his way, and then one to say he would be with us in 3 minutes.

Parilla

[gerryh]

Do Linea Directa use Whatsapp?

Sid

As far as I am aware they, unfortunately, don't use Whatsapp.
Cheers
Gerry