Breakdowns on motorways and smart motorways

By the end of this topic you can

• You can choose the safest place to stop if your car develops a problem.
• You can recognise an emergency area from its blue sign with an orange SOS symbol.
• You can get yourself and passengers out on the side away from traffic and behind a barrier.
• You can call for help using an emergency telephone or 999.
• You can stay safe if you cannot reach a safe place.
• You can rejoin the motorway safely afterwards.

What you need to know and understand

• The safest place to stop on a motorway is a service area. Emergency areas and hard shoulders are for emergencies, and the hard shoulder gives less protection because it is close to fast traffic.
• If you can, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area.
• Emergency areas are marked with blue signs showing an orange SOS telephone symbol.
• Never put a warning triangle on a motorway, and do not attempt repairs yourself.
• If you are stuck in a live lane and cannot get out safely, stay in the car with your seatbelt on and hazard lights on, and call 999.
• If you stop in an emergency area, you must use the emergency telephone to rejoin, and follow the operator's advice.

If the car starts to fail

1. Switch on your hazard warning lights.
2. If possible, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area.
3. If you cannot, move into the left lane and stop in an emergency area or on the hard shoulder, as far left as possible. On the hard shoulder, try to stop just past an emergency telephone.
4. Get everyone out through the left-hand doors, away from traffic, if it is safe to do so. Leave animals in the car unless it is an emergency.
5. Wait behind the safety barrier, well away from the carriageway.
6. Call for help using the free emergency telephone, or call 999 and ask for the police. Some cars also have an SOS button you can press.

When you cannot reach a safe place

Sometimes a car stops suddenly in a running lane, or there is no safe way to get out. In that case stay in the car with your seatbelt fastened and hazard lights on, and call 999 straight away. Traffic officers can close the lane above you with a red X and send help.

Do not try to walk along the motorway or cross the carriageway. Once you have left the car for somewhere safer, do not go back to it, even if it is cold or dark.

Getting going again

From a hard shoulder, build up speed on the hard shoulder itself, signal and wait for a safe gap in the left lane before moving out. Watch for other vehicles stopped further along the hard shoulder.

From an emergency area, you must call using the emergency telephone first. The operator can tell you when it is safe and may close the nearest lane to help you rejoin.

Common mistakes

• Stopping in a live lane when you could have reached the left. Move left as soon as you notice a problem.
• Staying in the car on the hard shoulder when you could safely get behind the barrier.
• Getting out on the traffic side. Use the left-hand doors.
• Putting out a warning triangle or trying a repair. Leave it to the recovery service.
• Rejoining from an emergency area without calling the operator first.

Test yourself: Breakdowns on motorways and smart motorways

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Red X on the Motorway
• What to Do if Your Car Breaks Down