Cultivating a good relationship with a local towing service is a good way to help ensure you're never left lingering by the roadside in the event of an emergency, but it's best to try and avoid a situation like this before it happens. By keeping your vehicle in good running condition and practicing safe driving methods, you'll decrease your chances of ever needing a tow. If the inconvenience should happen, however, there are a few things you can do to help ensure your vehicle gets safely back to the garage. The easier you make the whole process on your towing service, the more quickly and efficiently you'll be on your way:

Make Sure Your Parking Brake is Disengaged

Setting the parking brake may be your first inclination when your car becomes disabled, but be sure to disengage it before the tow truck arrives. Probably, your towing professional will check this before he or she attempts to hook up or to pull your vehicle onto the flat bed, but in case they forget, you'll have the peace of mind knowing it's off. Should your car be towed with the parking brake set, damage can occur. 

Clear Space Around Your Car

If you're backed right up against the curb or wedged neatly between two other parallel-parked vehicles, towing is going to be much more difficult. Try to resolve the issue before help arrives. If possible, locate the owner of one of the cars and ask them to move -- explaining your situation. And if you're able, try to push your vehicle away from curbs, walls, and other obstacles -- just enough that your towing service can hook up easily. 

Disengage the 4-Wheel Drive

If your vehicle becomes disabled while it's in 4-wheel drive, make sure you disengage it before the tow. Towing a vehicle that's locked in 4-wheel drive can wreak havoc on your drivetrain. Again, a seasoned tow truck technician will know to check for this, but if you get the newbie who's fresh out of training, he or she could easily overlook this. 

Straighten Out the Wheels

If possible, have your wheels positioned nice and straight when help arrives. This cuts down on one more chore your towing professional will have to perform when he or she arrives on the scene. It's difficult to tow a car if the tires are turned sharply in one direction or the other.  

Accidents and mishaps occur even to the safest drivers, but if you have a towing service like Mark's Towing, Inc. on hand and you go out of your way to make things as easy on them as possible, you'll get to safety that much more quickly.