Is it right to stop pm the hardshoulder and call the AA and SoS?

Question

right I was driving down the motorway tonight when my car started to sway towards the left not under my control . I was in lane1 and doing 60 so breaked and still I kept swerving uncontrollably towards the right. I figured it was more than just the wind so stopped at the hard shoulder. I had one tyre replaced the other week..and although the same spec it is not the same make. I attributed the loss of control of steering to this. However the sub contractor who came out drove my car to a works unit road and said my car was fine and I should get back on the motorway. Would you do that or insist on recovery truck to tow u home?

the sub contractor took it to a works slip road...drove it up and down the road....and said it was fine. but I did not think it was fine ....so AA after a huge fight towed me home...had to wait for another recovery vehicle

Answer 1

are you drunk

Answer 2

It sounds like you were caught in the tyre ruts made by lorries.
As the majority of heavy vehicles travel in the nearside lane (lane 1 as you call it), over a period of time, the road surface gets worn where the vehicles wheels run. In some cases, it is possible for a car wheel to follow these ruts like a tramline, thus moving the car without your control. Whilst not dangerous if you have proper control over your vehicle, it can leave an unware car driver feeling like they have something wrong with the car.
If you feel that you still have somethong wrong, why not take it you local "Kwik fit" type centre and have you steering and wheel alignment checked. Surely worth it for you peace of mind.
However, back to your original question. If you breakdown, or suspect that something is wrong with your vehicle, you are right to stop on the hard shoulder and call the breakdown services. The mechanic who came out, tested your car and found nothing wrong. In that case, you should have carried on you jounery. By staying on the hard shoulder and arguging with the AA, you put yourself at risk (and the recovery truck operator) for no apparanet reason. I suspect that you told the AA what had happened on the phone, and they had a report from the first mechanic to come out, so they could see no justifable reason for a recovery truck to be sent. I would imagine that the only reason they did come out was for your own safety.

Just a quick note to finish on, these ruts/tramlines/tracks, whilst an effect of the weight of the vehicles, are not their fault. Its down to the government not investing in the correct amount of maintenance of the highways im proportion to the amount of vehicles on the roads.

Answer 3

if the new tyre is on the left that would explain why the steering pulled the left,assuming the tyre on the o/s is part worn,whats more worrying is the car pulling to the o/s when you braked this would suggest the n/s brakes are not working correctly,i think you did the correct thing insisting the vehicle be recovered you now need a garage to fully inspect the vehicle.good luck.

Answer 4

If I did not feel save driving it, yes I would insist on a recovery truck. Perhaps the guy was trying to save you some money,although had you taken his advice and then the car failed and you had an accident, you could have sued the company for bad advice.

Answer 5

I would ask him to follow you while you drove to the next service station, where you could examine your vehicle safely, and in detail.

If anything untoward happened, he would be there to help. If you are dissatisfied with the level of service you recieved, complain loudly.

If you did not feel that you could continue your journey safely, you could use the motorway phone to explain to the police. If they thought safety was an issue, you'd soon get help.

Answer 6

Your tyre alignment is probably off. Take it into the shop and tell them you want your tyres aligned. If you have a tyre off then it will cause the car to drift in one direction. (I've never spelled ture with a y before!)

Answer 7

So how did you get home?