If you need to stop on a motorway with a hard shoulder

Go left

Move left onto a hard shoulder, left-hand verge.

Leave space so that you can get out of your vehicle from the side furthest from traffic.

Try to stop near an emergency telephone; these are spaced at approximately one mile intervals along motorway hard shoulders.

Get safe and away from moving traffic

Switch your hazard warning lights on, even during the day. If it’s dark, use side lights and in poor visibility use fog lights.

If it’s safe and you can get out with any passengers, exit your vehicle via the left-hand door and get behind a safety barrier where there is one and it is safe to do so. They offer extra protection.

Gather any items you may need, such as mobile phone, coat, hi vis clothing, food, drink and medication. Take care if getting items from the boot.

It’s safer to leave pets in your vehicle, even if you think they may become upset. This is because your pet may become scared, run into the traffic and cause a collision. Only remove pets in an emergency. Keep them under proper control on the verge and behind the safety barrier, if there is one.

Keep well away from your vehicle and moving traffic, even if it’s raining, cold or dark.

If you’re on a verge, be aware of any unseen hazards such as sudden drops, uneven ground or debris.

Get help

Use the free emergency telephone, which connects directly to one of our regional operations centres and identifies your location. Take care while getting to and from an emergency phone. Stay behind the safety barrier where there is one and it is safe to do so.

Alternatively use your mobile phone to call us on 0300 123 5000 if you're unable to exit your vehicle or get to a free emergency telephone.

We'll give you further advice based on your circumstances, and can help arrange further assistance for you.

After your call to us, contact your breakdown recovery provider. They may give you additional instructions.

What to do if you have a collision

If you are involved in a collision:

• Do not stop in a live traffic lane
• Move to a safe place to exchange details. This could be a hard shoulder, emergency area or lay-by
• Give your and the vehicle owner’s name and address, as well as the registration number of the vehicle, to anyone having reasonable grounds for requiring them
• If you don't give your details at the time of the collision, report it to the police as soon as reasonably practical, and in any case within 24 hours

If you break down in a live lane or in roadworks

If you can’t get into the left hand lane, or you can’t exit your vehicle to get to a place of safety, stay in your vehicle, keep your seatbelts and hazard warning lights on and call 999 immediately.

National Highways closely monitors traffic in roadworks, but you must call 999 if you've broken down in them. The police will then alert us, so we can work with them to provide a co-ordinated response.

If you need to stop on a motorway with no hard shoulder

Go left

If you get into trouble on a motorway, most vehicles can be driven to an emergency area.

These are spaced regularly, are painted orange and are marked with blue signs featuring an orange SOS telephone symbol, to indicate the distance to the next one.

Get safe and away from moving traffic

Switch your hazard warning lights on, even during the day. If it’s dark, use side lights and in poor visibility use fog lights.

If it’s safe and you can get out with any passengers, exit your vehicle via the left-hand door and get behind a safety barrier where there is one and it is safe to do so. They offer extra protection.

Gather any items you may need, such as mobile phone, coat, hi-vis clothing, food, drink and medication. Take care if getting items from the boot.

It’s safer to leave pets in your vehicle, even if you think they may become upset. This is because your pet may become scared, run into the traffic and cause a collision. Only remove pets in an emergency. Keep them under proper control on the verge and behind the safety barrier, if there is one.

Keep well away from your vehicle and moving traffic, even if it’s raining, cold or dark.

If you’re on a verge, be aware of any unseen hazards such as sudden drops, uneven ground or debris.

Get help

Use the free emergency telephone which connects directly to a National Highways regional operations centre and identifies your location.

Alternatively use your mobile phone to call us on 0300 123 5000 if you're unable to exit your vehicle.

We'll give you further advice and assistance based on your circumstance.

After your call to National Highways (and the emergency services if required), contact a breakdown provider. They may give you additional instruction.