Motorway Breakdown: What to Do
Get left. Get safe. Get help.
If you cannot get the vehicle to a safer place or cannot exit safely and get well away from moving traffic, stay in the vehicle with seat belts and hazard lights on and call 999 for the police.
Keep the sequence simple.
If the vehicle develops a problem, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can do so safely.
Move into the left lane and use an emergency area or hard shoulder if available. Stop as far left as possible with hazard warning lights on.
If it is safe and possible, leave by the side furthest from traffic and get behind a safety barrier where one exists. Keep children controlled and passengers away from the carriageway.
If the vehicle cannot reach a safer place or you cannot exit safely, stay in the vehicle, keep seat belts and hazard lights on, and call 999 for the police.
Use an emergency telephone, vehicle SOS/eCall, a mapping app, or the numbers on marker posts / driver location signs.
If you have exited safely, stay well away from the vehicle and carriageway until help arrives.
- Never place a warning triangle on a motorway.
- Do not attempt repairs on the motorway.
- Do not return to the vehicle merely because it is cold, dark or raining if you are already safely behind a barrier.
- Do not stand where the vehicle could be pushed into you by another collision.
- If you stopped in an emergency area, use the emergency telephone and follow the operator’s advice before rejoining the carriageway.
- Review why the vehicle failed and replenish any car-emergency supplies used.