Motorway Breakdowns, Your Course Of Action

At some point in your motoring life it is likely thatemergency phone is the safest option.
you will experience a breakdown whilst on theHelp can be arranged quickly by using one of the
motorway. There are products on the market whichroadside emergency phones provided. Do make sure
may help us be financially prepared for all types ofthat you are as far away from the traffic as possible
motoring crises - like extended car warranty policiesif you have to walk any distance along the hard
or gap insurance, for example. Ensuring the safety ofshoulder. You need to be very alert to any dangers
both yourself and any passengers in your vehiclethat may occur. If you have pets with you when
depends on your willingness to be prepared in ayou breakdown you should leave them secured in
practical sense as well, however. There are a numberthe vehicle for their safety, unless they are in a pet
of things which, in order to keep safety a priority,crate.
you should know before travelling on the motorway.Whilst waiting for help to arrive, you should remain
The hard shoulder of the motorway is to be usedoutside of the car. If you stay in your car you are
for emergencies only. You should only use the hardrisking being injured if another vehicle hits your car. It
shoulder if all other options are closed to you. If youis also dangerous to perform your own repairs by
think that there is a problem with your car youthe motorway edge. Even more risky is trying to
should leave the motorway at the first available exit.affect repairs from the driving side. It is not sensible
Should your car break down on the motorway, doto put yourself at risk of injury or death by trying to
make sure that you stop as far to the left of thecarry out a complicated repair; and even by trying to
hard shoulder as possible. If you can, point your frontfix a problem yourself you may end up invalidating
wheels towards the verge slightly. The first thing toyour car warranty policy. Motorway traffic is
do once you come to a stop is to put on yourunpredictable and you should always seek
hazard lights. The use of other warning devices, suchprofessional help.
as red triangles, is not recommended on theResist the temptation to try and 'help' the rescue
motorway. Fast moving traffic could make the useservice; stay on the side of the verge until the
of such things more hazardous than their usefulnessproblem has been resolved or a course of action
could compensate for.decided upon. In particular you should never stand in
Once you are stopped, your first concern should bebetween the two vehicles. Just imagine what could
to get all of your passengers out of the car. Ensurehappen to you should another car then run into the
that everyone exits from the left, out of theback of yours.
immediate path of oncoming traffic. When everyoneHopefully you will be one of the lucky ones and
is safely removed from the vehicle and well out ofnever have a breakdown on the motorway.
the way of the traffic, you can think about callingHowever, if you do, being prepared and knowing
your rescue service.exactly what to do will help to keep you safe until
Many car insurance policies will now include optionalhelp arrives. No matter how many different types of
roadside assistance. If possible, find a roadsideinsurance are available to today's motorists, ultimately
emergency telephone to call from rather than youreach of us needs to do much more than this to
mobile, as this will allow the rescue vehicle to pinpointensure protection on the roads. Whilst some
your location easily. There are plenty of these on theprotection to our pockets may be offered by
motorways; just look for the marker posts which areroadside assistance, car warranties and gap insurance,
blue and white. The post will point you in the directionfor example, it remains another responsibility entirely
of the nearest phone. As they are directly connectedto be equipped with the knowledge which could just
to a police control centre, using a roadsidesave your life or that of those around you.