What should you do if your car breaks down?

What should you do immediately if you break down?

• Get yourself and your vehicle to safety. If you can feel a problem developing, try to move off the road to a safe place like a lay-by, a quiet side road or car park is ideal. Don’t attempt to carry on if it isn’t safe to do so.
• Switch your hazard lights on straight away. Warn other drivers that you have stopped and that your car may be in an unsafe location and causing an obstruction.
• Make yourself visible. In low light or bad weather, turn your sidelights on too. If you have a high-visibility jacket, put it on before you leave the vehicle.
• Stay calm and assess the situation. Avoid making any rushed decisions, it's important to keep everyone as safe and out of harm's way.
• If it is safe to do so, carefully get out of your car and look around. If anyone is hurt or if there are other cars blocking the road or in an unsafe location, call 999 immediately.
• Use a warning triangle only if it’s safe to do so. On an ordinary road, placing one at least 45 metres behind your vehicle gives other drivers extra warning. Never use one on a motorway - it’s far too dangerous.
• Get everyone to a safe place. Where possible, leave the vehicle from the side away from traffic and wait somewhere safe, away from the carriageway and behind a safety barrier if there is one.
• Once you're safe, call for assistance. Contact your breakdown provider or call AASP on 0845 649 1024 and our Roadside Heroes will come to you.

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What should you do if you break down on the motorway?

• Move onto the hard shoulder if there is one, getting as far to the left as you can and turn your wheels to the left.
• Try to stop near an emergency roadside telephone. These connect directly to National Highways and will help them pinpoint your exact location.
• Switch on your hazard lights straight away. In low light or bad weather, turn your sidelights on too.
• Leave the vehicle from the left-hand side away from traffic and make sure your passengers do the same.
• Get behind the safety barrier and wait well away from the carriageway and your vehicle.
• Don’t attempt repairs yourself and never place a warning triangle on a motorway as it can become a danger to other road users.
• Once you're' safe, call for assistance. Contact your breakdown provider or call AASP on 0845 649 1024 and our Roadside Heroes will come to you.

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What about smart motorways with no hard shoulder?

• If you can, leave at the next exit or services or reach an emergency refuge area. These are marked with orange signs and have an SOS telephone.
• If you can’t reach one and your vehicle is losing power - move as far to the left as possible, put your hazard lights on, and - if it’s safe - leave the vehicle from the left and get safety behind the barrier as quickly as possible.
• If you’re stuck in a live lane and can’t get out safely, keep your seatbelt and hazard lights on, stay in the vehicle and call 999 immediately.
• Wherever possible, use the SOS phones in emergency areas to contact National Highways so they close the lane and send help to you quickly.

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Should you stay in your vehicle or get out?

• On a hard shoulder or at the roadside, it’s usually safest to get out from the side away from traffic and wait behind a safety barrier or as far away from your car as possible.
• In a live lane where you can’t get out safely, stay in your vehicle with your seatbelt on, your hazard lights on and call 999 immediately.
• In a safe location off the road, such as a lay-by, car park or quiet side road - then you can usually wait safely in or near your vehicle until help arrives.

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When should you call 999?

• You, your passengers or other road users are in immediate danger.
• You’re stranded in a live lane on a motorway and can’t move to safety.
• Anyone has been injured.
• Your vehicle is causing an obstruction that puts others at serious risk.