Would You Know What To Do If You Broke Down On The Motorway?
Some people use their car a great deal as they travel to work and go on big adventures during the weekend, but others only use it on the rare occasion. They may work from home or walk to the office, and their car or truck might sit in the driveway for most of any given day. In this case, they may not be used to driving over any long distance, and when holiday time rolls around, they may be getting ready for a long distance trip to see relatives. This is certainly exciting, but would they know what to do should they encounter a mechanical problem along the way?
Ideal World
Ideally, they should take the vehicle in for a service before they set off, especially as it has been sitting around for a long period of time. Still, sometimes it is not possible or the option may be overlooked, and in this case, they need to draw up a plan in case of an emergency.
Crafting a Plan
If you're in this position, you may be setting out for a long motorway drive and are not used to how quickly traffic may move on this type of highway. You need to figure out what to do if something were to go wrong as you were driving along this divided road.
Stop Carefully
If you were to encounter a mechanical issue, the first thing to do is to look around you and try to gauge the speed of other vehicles in your vicinity. In an ideal world, you should slowly reduce speed and pull over to the side while clearly indicating to other drivers. Once you are able to do so, make sure that you pull way over to the side and onto the hard shoulder before coming to a stop.
Safety First
Next, ask all your passengers to exit from the side that is closest to the grass verge. They should never open the door on the side that is closest to the live carriageway. Make sure that they move well away from the road, and ideally behind a crash barrier or other substantial object, for their own safety.
Be Seen
Then, place a warning triangle around 50 metres down the road while watching the traffic, just in case. Leave your hazard warning lights on, especially in poor visibility, so that traffic can clearly see that you are stopped at the side of the road.
Calling For Support
Look for marker boards placed at regular intervals on roads like this to help you determine your exact location. Now, call a 24/7 emergency breakdown assistance service and give them the information set out on the marker board. These companies tend to treat a motorway breakdown as a priority due to the high speeds involved and the potential risk. While you wait for them to arrive, make sure that everybody remains away from the car, just in case a driver becomes distracted and strays offline.