It’s a simple fact of motoring life – at some point, your car will break down and leave you stranded. This is especially true of young drivers as they inevitably have to buy a cheaper used car that will have more miles on the clock and therefore be more likely to go wrong.
However, according to new research, no matter what the age of the car, there are still too many of us who don’t follow the rules of the road after a breakdown.
Motorway misery
The biggest concern is how drivers react when their car conks out on a motorway. For instance, a shocking 41% of drivers would risk life and limb to put a warning triangle down on a live lane to warn other drivers.
While on roads, this can make sense (see below), on a motorway, such a move is incredibly dangerous. Also, 7% of drivers do the opposite and don’t even bother to put on their hazard lights.
Not so smart
On smart motorways (those without hard shoulders to pull over on to), there’s more bad news. First, only 82% of drivers would bother to call their breakdown provider (compared to 92% on traditional motorways).
Worse still, if a driver on a smart motorway is experiencing issues with their vehicle, only 47% said they would try and make it to the nearest emergency area (these are spots along smart motorways that you can pull into to stay safe).
What to do
If you’re having problems with your car, come off at the next exit or pull over on to the hard shoulder or into an emergency area. Once you’re safely stopped, everyone should exit the car on the left-hand side, hop over the barrier and walk up and away from the car (in case it is hit).
If you should breakdown in a live lane, do not get out of your car unless it is absolutely safe to so (i.e., it’s 2am and there are no other vehicles on the motorway). If it’s not safe, then keep your safety belt on and put your hazard warning lights on before calling 999 so the police can intervene as soon as possible.
Knowledge gap
Turning to dual carriageways, some drivers still appear to be unclear about what to do if their car experiences issues on this two-lane highway.
A worrying 11% are unaware that they should put on their hazard lights and 25% aren’t sure whether they should pull over to the side of the road if possible (our top tip? Do pull over when it’s safe to do so!).
To warn or not warn
Also, many drivers carry a warning triangle in the boot of their car. While these shouldn’t be placed on motorways or dual carriageways because of the associated risk, you should place them if you’re broken down on, say, a country road.
However, only 38% of the drivers surveyed said they would place the warning triangle but 18% of this group would place it directly behind their car, which is the wrong position.
According to the rules of the road, put the triangle 45 metres behind your car to give vehicles enough warning about the obstacle on the road ahead.
Ask your ADI
If you’re still uncertain about what do in the event of a breakdown on any type of road, do talk to your driving instructor.
They’ll be able to take you through what you need do to ensure that you – and other road users – remain as safe as possible if your car fails on you.
Know Your Code
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Main image by diana.grytsku on Freepik