Experiencing a roadside breakdown can be stressful, not to mention potentially dangerous.
But, whether you’re on a busy motorway or a quiet country road, following essential safety steps can help protect you and other road users until Egertons come to the rescue.
Here’s a guide on how to stay safe if you find yourself experiencing a roadside breakdown:
1. Stay calm and assess the situation
When you experience a breakdown, it’s easy to feel panicked or overwhelmed, so be sure to take a moment to breathe deeply and assess the situation.
Check for any immediate dangers such as traffic or harsh weather and decide the best course of action.
Staying calm will help you think clearly and make informed decisions, and allow for the safest possible outcome for you, your vehicle and other road users.
2. Move your vehicle to a safe location
If possible, steer your vehicle to the side of the road or onto the hard shoulder, and if you’re on a motorway, aim to exit at the next junction.
It’s crucial to keep your vehicle as far left as possible to minimise the risk of accidents, but you’re unable to move your vehicle due to the type of breakdown, stay inside with your seatbelt fastened and turn on your hazard lights.
3. Turn on your hazard warning lights
As soon as you come to a stop, activate your hazard warning lights to alert other drivers to your presence and signal that you need assistance.
If visibility is poor due to darkness or weather conditions, consider switching on your sidelights or fog lights as well. The more visible your vehicle is, the better.
4. Exit the vehicle if it’s safe to do so
If you can, exit your vehicle only from the side closest to the road shoulder, and always check for oncoming traffic before opening the door.
Once outside, move away from the vehicle to a safe distance, ideally behind a barrier or up an embankment to avoid being struck by passing vehicles.
5. Make yourself seen
If you have a high-visibility vest in your vehicle, put it on before stepping outside, as this makes you more visible to other motorists and helps roadside assistance locate you quickly.
Visibility is critical in ensuring your safety, especially during low-light conditions or inclement weather, so using light tools such as vests, reflective triangles or side kits can ensure other road users can spot you easily.
6. Don’t return to your vehicle
Once you’ve exited the vehicle, do not return to it for any reason, and avoid retrieving personal items or attempting to place warning triangles on the road, as this can expose you to danger.
If your vehicle has broken down, stay at a safe distance and wait for Egertons to arrive and deem the vehicle safe to enter.
7. Make the call to Egertons
When you call for assistance from the Egertons team, be clear and specific about your location.
We’ll always talk you through our thorough triage process, and you can help us pinpoint your exact location by using landmarks, road signs or your vehicle’s position on the motorway for us to find you quickly, and allow us to deploy the ideal rescue vehicle to help.
8. Let the experts take over
Roadside breakdowns can be daunting, but following these first 7 safety steps will help keep you safe and other road users as possible until our expert team at Egertons arrive on scene to take over.
For any roadside breakdown, our team are equipped to handle all situations with speed and efficiency, and our promise it to always deploy the specialist rescue vehicles from our fleet to get that done as safely as possible.
You can rest easy knowing we’ll get the job done, as we’re one of the UK’s leading vehicle rescue and recovery operators. Plus, our services are available 24/7/365 service across the country, regardless of the incident or circumstances too.
There really is no one better suited to recover you and your vehicle from a roadside breakdown. And it’s a promise from us that when you need our team, we’ll be right there.