Motorway Breakdowns: Your Course Of Action

At some point in your motoring life it is likely that you will experience a breakdown whilst on the motorway

. There are products on the market which may help us be financially prepared for all types of motoring crises - like extended car warranty policies or gap insurance, for example. Ensuring the safety of both yourself and any passengers in your vehicle depends on your willingness to be prepared in a practical sense as well, however. There are a number of things which, in order to keep safety a priority, you should know before travelling on the motorway. The hard shoulder of the motorway is to be used for emergencies only. You should only use the hard shoulder if all other options are closed to you. If you think that there is a problem with your car you should leave the motorway at the first available exit.

Should your car break down on the motorway, do make sure that you stop as far to the left of the hard shoulder as possible. If you can, point your front wheels towards the verge slightly. The first thing to do once you come to a stop is to put on your hazard lights. The use of other warning devices, such as red triangles, is not recommended on the motorway. Fast moving traffic could make the use of such things more hazardous than their usefulness could compensate for.

Once you are stopped, your first concern should be to get all of your passengers out of the car. Ensure that everyone exits from the left, out of the immediate path of oncoming traffic. When everyone is safely removed from the vehicle and well out of the way of the traffic, you can think about calling your rescue service.

Many car insurance policies will now include optional roadside assistance. If possible, find a roadside emergency telephone to call from rather than your mobile, as this will allow the rescue vehicle to pinpoint your location easily. There are plenty of these on the motorways; just look for the marker posts which are blue and white. The post will point you in the direction of the nearest phone. As they are directly connected to a police control centre, using a roadside emergency phone is the safest option.

Help can be arranged quickly by using one of the roadside emergency phones provided. Do make sure that you are as far away from the traffic as possible if you have to walk any distance along the hard shoulder. You need to be very alert to any dangers that may occur. If you have pets with you when you breakdown you should leave them secured in the vehicle for their safety, unless they are in a pet crate.

Whilst waiting for help to arrive, you should remain outside of the car. If you stay in your car you are risking being injured if another vehicle hits your car. It is also dangerous to perform your own repairs by the motorway edge. Even more risky is trying to affect repairs from the driving side. It is not sensible to put yourself at risk of injury or death by trying to carry out a complicated repair; and even by trying to fix a problem yourself you may end up invalidating your car warranty policy. Motorway traffic is unpredictable and you should always seek professional help.

Resist the temptation to try and 'help' the rescue service; stay on the side of the verge until the problem has been resolved or a course of action decided upon. In particular you should never stand in between the two vehicles. Just imagine what could happen to you should another car then run into the back of yours.

Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones and never have a breakdown on the motorway. However, if you do, being prepared and knowing exactly what to do will help to keep you safe until help arrives. No matter how many different types of insurance are available to today's motorists, ultimately each of us needs to do much more than this to ensure protection on the roads. Whilst some protection to our pockets may be offered by roadside assistance, car warranties and gap insurance, for example, it remains another responsibility entirely to be equipped with the knowledge which could just save your life or that of those around you.

Motorway Breakdowns: Your Course Of Action

By: Stephanie Andrew

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