// first roadside minute

DOC-120 Evacuation 4 min

Vehicle Breakdown

The vehicle is shelter, landmark, signal, and supply cache until it is not.

TL;DR

Get out of traffic, make the vehicle visible, conserve battery, manage heat or cold, and avoid walking without a known safer destination.

A lone desert route under bright sun
Walking away from a known landmark is a serious decision in heat, cold, or low visibility.

/ first_moves

Do these first

/ failure_mode

How this plan fails

A vehicle can become unsafe through fire, floodwater, traffic, heat, carbon monoxide, or violence nearby. If staying creates immediate danger, move to the nearest safer place.

/ avoid

Do not spend your first mistake here

  • Standing between vehicles or on the traffic side of the car.
  • Leaving the vehicle on foot without water, navigation, visibility, and a known destination.

A stranded vehicle is not just a machine. It is a weather barrier, signal marker, storage box, and last-known point. In many environments, staying near it is safer than walking away.

First, solve traffic. Get out of the lane if possible. Make yourself visible without standing in a strike zone. Then send a concise status message with location and needs.

Temperature decides the next layer. In cold, keep the exhaust clear and run the engine only as needed for heat if it is safe. In heat, create shade, reduce exertion, and drink safe water.

Leave on foot only when staying is clearly more dangerous or when you have a known safer destination, route, water, weather protection, and a way to be seen.