Breakdown on the motorway: stopping and getting out safely

On fast roads, vehicles cover a long distance every second. A driver needs time to notice an obstacle, react and brake, and during that time keeps moving. A car stopped at the roadside is often recognised as stationary only late, especially at night, in rain or after a bend. Vehicles also sometimes drift onto the hard shoulder, for example when a driver is tired or distracted.

This leads to the two most effective protective measures. Visibility: hazard lights and a hi-vis vest make sure others recognise you earlier. Distance: behind the crash barrier or on the verge you are separated from traffic. The car itself is not a safe place in this situation, because it can be hit.

That is why you should not stay sitting in the car if you can get out safely. Anyone standing behind the barrier slightly back from the vehicle – that is, against the direction of travel – is out of reach even if the car is hit and pushed forward.

As soon as you notice something is wrong, switch on the hazard lights and roll as far as possible onto the hard shoulder or into an emergency bay. If the car is still moving, the next exit or emergency area is better than the narrow hard shoulder. Turn the wheels away from traffic.

Put on the hi-vis vest before you get out – that is why it belongs inside the cabin and not in the boot. Everyone gets out on the side away from traffic. Hold children by the hand. Animals stay in the vehicle if they cannot be held safely outside; follow local guidance on this.

Call for help via the breakdown service or an emergency roadside telephone. Describe your location with distance markers at the roadside, the last junction or your phone's location. Never walk back along the carriageway, always behind the barrier.

Do not repair anything next to moving traffic, not even a tyre change on the traffic side. That is what the breakdown service is for; it comes with protection and equipment. A flat tyre is annoying, but no reason to kneel next to vehicles travelling at high speed.

Rules on warning triangles differ: some countries require them, others discourage them on motorways because placing one is dangerous in itself. Check local rules and only place one if it is required or recommended and you can do it safely – and walk behind the barrier while doing so.

If there is no hard shoulder and you cannot get out safely, stay belted in the car, keep the hazard lights on and call the emergency number immediately. With injuries, after a collision or if the car is stopped in a dangerous place, the local emergency number (112 in the EU) is the right choice.

Traffic rules such as the UK Highway Code contain dedicated sections on motorway breakdowns. The principles are similar everywhere: hazard lights, getting out on the side away from traffic, keeping away from the vehicle and calling for help. Mandatory equipment and the rules for warning triangles, on the other hand, are different in each country – check them before driving abroad.

It is best to run through the sequence once in your head with everyone in the car before a long drive begins: where are the vests? Which side do we get out on? Who takes the children? This page gives no binding legal information and no instructions for breakdown repairs.