Breakdown safety guide
It’s best to be prepared and know what to do if you break down on a busy motorway or in another dangerous situation. Here are some tips to keep you and your passengers as safe as possible.
We all hope we never experience breaking down, but it does happen.
Maintaining our vehicles and ensuring our vehicles are in the best possible condition is important to reduce the likelihood of a breakdown, but these measures won't always prevent it.
Keep these tips in your glovebox so they're on hand if ever you need them.
Breakdown safety guide
10 steps to keep you safe if your vehicle breaks down
- Park your vehicle as far to the left-hand side of the road as possible
- Turn on hazard lights
- If it's dark, raining or foggy, turn on your vehicle’s parking lights
- If it’s safer to remain in the vehicle, ensure all occupants sit in seats as far from traffic as they can and fasten their seatbelts
- If you feel it's safer for you and your passengers outside of the vehicle, ensure you:
- leave the vehicle from the passenger side away from traffic (usually the passenger door)
- take all passengers with you
- find a safe area away from the road or behind a roadside barrier
- If your life is at immediate risk call 111; if there is danger but not life threatening, call *555 to inform Police
- AA Members can call *222 from their mobile phone for AA Roadservice assistance, log a callout on the AA Roadservice app, or use an emergency roadside phone if available
- Wait for AA Roadservice; do not attempt to fix the vehicle yourself
- Do not approach the AA Roadservice vehicle when it arrives – stay in your vehicle or in the safe area you have moved to and wait for the service officer to approach you
- Follow AA Roadservice instructions.
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