If you run out of gas on a highway, should you stay with your vehicle or start walking?

In my state it is okay….. it will be TOWED after police declare it an abandoned vehicle on state or interstate road.
No driver and the tow truck is allowed to remove and put in EXPENSIVE storage.

How long are you leaving it for? In my state it seems to take forever for the car to get towed. It sits there with an orange sticker for days, and it takes a long to time get the sticker in the first place.

If you want to leave it long enough to get gas, I wouldn’t worry about that. I might put a sign in a window that I would be back shortly. But why bother? Why not call a gas station and have them bring gas to you. Maybe your insurer will pay for it, or you can join an auto club like AAA.

I recommend AAA membership and a cell phone for all travelers. This simple combination of services and devices has saved my behind twice.

I’ve broke down on the highway before with two toddlers and wind chills well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. 30 minutes went by before someone pulled over to offer a cell phone to call for help. It took another 10 minutes before a state trooper arrived to offer assistance. If you stay with your car, be prepared to wait for a long time. If you leave your car, don’t forget to put the hazard lights on and it wouldn’t hurt to leave a note in the front window.

It depends on when and where you are. Near an off ramp with a gas station during the day? Go ahead and walk, it’ll be quicker; just leave a note for the highway patrol/state trooper.

Out in the middle of nowhere, late at night? Stay with the car and call a tow truck, have them bring it to you.

If you stay with the car, unless you are well off the road, do not stay IN the car. Get out and stand about 15 feet behind it. Cars on the side often get hit, it’s like a compelling attraction.

I haven’t run out of gas in almost 30 years, and back then I had a carburetor. Is it at all difficult starting a car after running out, now that the ignitions are all computerized?

Either way you’re screwed. The guy with the hook wearing a trench coat is coming for you.

It depends. In Wyoming (or in the Bronx) I’d probably stay with the vehicle, unless the fuel station was within sight and walking distance.

Mostly, I’d hope that I have good cell service, and call AAA, as @YoBob suggests, and as I also recommend.

I would probably stay with the car and call a tow service, but then I usually have my two kids with me and I wouldn’t want to make them walk any great distance.

I also go the route of AAA or some other roadside assistance plan and a cell phone.
The only reason I would leave my car would be if I were in an unsafe location.
If you don’t know which direction or that its less than a mile to anywhere, what’s the sense of leaving the vehicle.

It would all depend on the circumstances. It’s ok to leave the car if it’s not a hazard in NYS. It would also depend on the season, the time, the location, etc. I make sure my s/o has AAA.

As far as I know there’s no law about it in the UK, unless you’re stopped in a place that would be illegal to park. On a motorway you must stay with the vehicle, it’s illegal to go walking down a motorway. Anywhere else I guess you’d be better off walking. The odds of any passing motorist stopping to help are pretty much nil, wherever you are.

Just don’t leave your child in the car when you leave it.~