What to Do If You Break Down

The most dangerous part of a breakdown is not the breakdown. It's the few minutes afterwards, when people sit in a stationary car on a live carriageway, or stand beside it on the offside, waiting for someone to come.

Here's what to do, in order.

Get off the road if you can. The moment you know something is wrong, start looking for somewhere to stop. A lay-by, a slip road, a side street, a verge. Don't try to make it to the next town — if the car is failing, take the first safe option you get.

Make yourself visible. Hazard lights on, immediately. If it's dark or foggy, sidelights too. If you have a warning triangle and you're on an ordinary road, put it out well back from the car — but never on a motorway, where you'd be walking in live traffic to place it.

Get out — on the left. Everyone leaves through the left-hand doors, away from the traffic. Not the driver's side. This is the single most important thing on this page.

Get behind a barrier. Up the bank, over the barrier, onto the verge, well back from the carriageway. Not standing next to the car. A stationary vehicle on a hard shoulder gets hit far more often than people imagine, and if you're standing beside it when that happens, that's that.

Leave animals in the car. A frightened dog loose on a carriageway is a catastrophe for everyone. Leave them, with a window cracked.

Then call. Once you're safe, and not before.

If you cannot get off the carriageway — if you're stuck in a live lane and you can't move — do not get out. Keep your seatbelt on, hazards on, and call 999 straight away. Police can close the lane. That is a job for them, not for you.

Once you're safe and the emergency is dealt with, call us on 07534136109 and we'll connect you with an available recovery operator near you.