Having your battery go dead while you’re out taking care of your daily business is a frustrating situation that can leave you feeling helpless. After all, there’s not a lot you can do about it by yourself. A jump start always requires at least two people and two vehicles, and unless you’re carrying jumper cables, you’re still at a standstill. 

Asking a stranger is an option in a pinch, but there are several reasons why asking a stranger is a bad idea. In these cases, it’s better to have a towing company come and jumpstart your battery. We’ll break down the dangers of relying on a stranger for a jumpstart and why calling a towing service is a better option. 

Strangers Can do Things Wrong and Damage Your Vehicle 

Besides the fact that finding a willing stranger that carries jumper cables is a rarity nowadays, the average person isn’t trained in mechanics and properly tests a battery and hooks it up for a jumpstart. 

If the battery connectors are corroded, you can actually cause more damage and result in a failed jumpstart. If you have a new vehicle, there are issues with jumpstarting a car as many of the electronics inside the vehicle can be damaged by charging the battery with a jumpstart. In the worst cases, you can wind up with a charged battery and a fried vehicle, which means a much more expensive fix than simply replacing a battery. 

Most vehicles literally have computers in them. If you improperly connect the cables or the battery is in bad shape while trying to jumpstart your car, you can damage or even destroy the internal computer, which can cause thousands of dollars to repair.

Dangers of Jumping a Dead Battery

While it may seem like a good idea to jumpstart your dead battery, there’s no guarantee that the jumpstart will take. You could easily find yourself getting in your car, starting to go, and then the battery goes dead again seconds later. If you rely on a stranger to help, you may find the stranger is gone, and you’re left stranded again with a battery that is still dead. 

Worse yet is the possibility that a defective battery will explode while being charged. This can cause serious bodily injury or even death if you’re near the battery when it explodes, and attempting to drive with a battery that is defective like this can be disastrous. 

A tow truck driver will have the knowledge and equipment to tell you whether a battery is safe or not in most cases, and if a jumpstart is not possible or a bad idea, they can tow you to the mechanic of your choice or to a place to get a new battery so that you can swap out the defective battery and be on your way. 

A Towing Service Will Be There Quickly 

When it comes to a dead battery, the main benefit of a towing service over a stranger is that a tow service will be there quickly with all the tools needed to get you going again. Finding a stranger can take a long time if you can even find one, and there’s no guarantee that things will go well. 

With a towing service, you have the guarantee of speedy service, combined with the reassurance that even if the vehicle can’t be jump-started, there is a professional there who can tow your car to a place where you can get a new battery or the proper repairs that are needed. This is a much safer and efficient option than hoping to find a stranger who can help you out in your time of need. 

A towing service can help with a number of roadside issues, and in the event that they can’t fix it, they can take you to someone who can, either the mechanic of your choice or one that they know and can recommend to take care of whatever issues you are experiencing. In the end, a towing service is the safest and most cost-effective option if you have a dead battery or other problem.