Stopping on the motorway

If your car should break down while you are out on the road, it can often be difficult, not to mention dangerous, to stop. Here are some tips to help you in an emergency.

The hard shoulders on motorways are only to be used in an emergency, as they are the only route by which the emergency services can reach people in distress. You should never stop on the hard shoulder to consult a map, go to the toilet, or use a mobile phone. If, however, your car breaks down on the motorway, you have no alternative. When forced to stop on the hard shoulder, you should stop as far to the left as possible, with your wheels turned in a leftwards direction, and leave your sidelights and hazard warning lights on if possible. Leave by the left hand door, and make sure that your passengers do as well, although you should leave any animals in the vehicle if possible.

If you have any reflective jackets, you should wear them, although you should not use a reflective triangle. Keep everyone as far away from the carriageway as possible, up the bank or behind a barrier if there is one. If you cannot make it onto the hard shoulder, you should switch on your hazard warning lights, and stay in your vehicle until there is enough of a gap in traffic to get safely over to the left hand side of the carriageway. Do not attempt to put up any warning devices on the carriageway, as this places you in grave danger.

Next, you will need to phone an emergency breakdown service. Emergency roadside recovery can be expensive if you are not a member of a breakdown service. However, some insurers, such as Kwik Fit Insurance, offer roadside recovery as part of some of their policies, and this can work out a lot cheaper than buying breakdown cover separately, so it's worth investigating whether they can offer you a competitive deal on car insurance with this useful extra.

When you get in touch with them in an emergency try to give as accurate a description of your location as possible. There are Driver Location Signs dotted all over the motorway, and reference numbers on emergency telephones or marker posts, so if you can give these details over the phone it will make it a lot easier for them to find you.

If you do not have a mobile phone, you will have to make your way to the nearest emergency telephone on your side of the motorway. Under no circumstances should you attempt to cross the motorway. These phones are directly connected to the police, and you should be prepared to give them your full details, and let them know if you are a vulnerable motorist, such as a woman travelling alone.

Once your car has been fixed, you will need to build up speed on the hard shoulder and wait for a safe gap in traffic before you join. Remember that there may be other vehicles on the hard shoulder that will not be able to move out of your way, so it is a good idea to wait for a quiet spell before you set off.

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