Breaking down in regional Victoria when help is far away and reception is poor

A breakdown on the Monash is dangerous because of the traffic. A breakdown on a back road outside Hopetoun or Orbost is a different problem: fewer people pass by, help can be a long way off and your phone may show one bar or none. A little planning goes a long way out there, and so does knowing how emergency calls actually work.

Stop where you can be seen

Country roads leave you less room for error. RACV warns that it's crucial to avoid stopping directly after a bend, where high speed limits, poor visibility and narrow shoulders combine. If the car starts to fail near a corner, stop before it, or use your momentum to get well past it so traffic behind has time to slow down.

Put your hazard lights on and do what you can to make the car easy to see. RACV says to take extra care with visibility in regional and remote areas.

In the warmer months, look at what you're pulling over onto. CFA's advice is simple: if you see dry grass, don't park in it or drive through it. A hot exhaust can start a fire, and grassfires can move quickly and jump highways.

Stay with the car

RACV's advice for remote breakdowns is clear: stay with your vehicle unless it's unsafe to do so, and don't wander off to find help. A car is far easier for anyone to spot than a person walking along a road, and it gives you shelter.

If you're out of range and have no satellite phone, RACV suggests safely flagging down another motorist. If they give you a ride to a service station or into mobile range, write down their ID details and leave them in your vehicle for extra security.

How calling 000 works with weak or no signal

This is the part most people have wrong, and it's worth knowing before you need it. These points come from the Department of Infrastructure's Triple Zero guidance:

• No bars on your network doesn't always mean no 000. If your own network isn't available, your phone automatically tries another one to make a 000 call. This is called emergency camp-on. You don't need to change any settings, and it works even without an active SIM.
• Check what your phone says. An iPhone may show "SOS" or "SOS only", and an Android may show "Emergency calls only" or a small SOS icon, which means camp-on is available. "No service" means there's no mobile network coverage where you are, and you won't be able to call 000 over a mobile network.
• Give the call time. If it doesn't connect in around 5 seconds, hang up and try again straight away. On later attempts, stay on the line for up to 60 seconds to give your phone the best chance of connecting through another network.
• If you can't connect, use a landline or public phone if there's one nearby, or connect to Wi-Fi and use Wi-Fi calling. Otherwise, keep yourself safe, seek help from people nearby and use any means available to reach emergency services.
• You can't text 000. Triple Zero doesn't take SMS. You can dial 112 on a mobile, but it won't get around a complete lack of coverage either.

If you get through but don't know where you are, the Emergency+ app can help. ACMA says it uses your phone's GPS to give you a street address where available, or three words that help the operator identify your location. Install it before your trip.

In parks, reserves and on trails, also look for a green emergency marker sign. Triple Zero Victoria has more than 3,220 of them, and call-takers can use them to specify your location.

Getting a tow a long way from town

When nobody's in danger and it's just a matter of moving the car, a few things are different out here.

• You need a connection to book. Any online booking, including ours, needs mobile data. If you only have a bar or two, it may take a few tries, so keep your details ready and stay with the car.
• There may be fewer operators nearby. That can mean fewer quotes, a longer wait or no quote at all. On RoadM8, quotes depend on who's available near your pick-up, so it's worth having a backup such as your roadside provider or a local garage.
• Think about the drop-off. The nearest town's workshop is often a better choice than a long haul home, because distance is usually one of the biggest factors in the price. See what changes the cost of a tow.
• Say exactly where you are. Unsealed roads and tracks can rule out some trucks. RACV notes that its own patrol vehicles can't access certain tracks and roads that are unsuitable for normal two-wheel-drive vehicles.

If you can get a connection, you can request a tow on RoadM8 from anywhere in Victoria. There are local pages for areas like Mildura and Sunraysia, Horsham and the Wimmera and Bairnsdale and East Gippsland, each with the same booking form.

Before you head out

RACV recommends carrying an emergency kit with bottled water, non-perishable food, a torch with batteries, your car manual and a first aid kit. A few other things are worth doing:

• Charge your phone and pack a car charger or power bank.
• Tell someone your route and when you expect to arrive.
• If you regularly travel out of range, RACV suggests considering a satellite phone or personal location beacon.
• Check fire danger and warnings on VicEmergency before you leave in summer.

Most regional trips go without a hitch. But if yours doesn't, the person who stayed with their car, knew what their phone was telling them and had water in the boot will have a much easier time of it.