| The DO's and DONT's of breaking down |
19 Feb 2007 |
Avoid breaking down
- A well-maintained car is less likely to break down – have yours serviced regularly by a reputable garage.
- Checking your car regularly will give you confidence if anything does go wrong.
- check that the battery fluid is not low
- check tyres are not bald
- make sure that the lights, indicators, wipers and screen washers work
- keep your headlamp lenses and windscreen clean
- keep your tank reasonably full
On a motorway
- Pull on to the hard shoulder and park well away from the main carriageway. If you don't have a mobile phone, leave the car by the passenger door (taking any children with you) and walk to the nearest emergency phone.
- Arrows on marker posts at the edge of the hard shoulder indicate the direction to the nearest emergency phone, which will be no more than half a mile away.
- When you use a phone, face oncoming traffic.
- Emergency phones will link you to a police motorway control centre. Tell them:
your exact location
car make, model and registration number
the nature of your problem
whether you are alone with small children
your membership number if you belong to a motoring organisation
- Don't worry if you do not have all this information.
- Return to your car, but don't get in unless you feel at risk. Many fatal accidents occur on the hard shoulder. If you feel unsafe, get into your car on the passenger side, put your seatbelt on and lock all of the doors.
On other roads
- If something goes wrong with your car drive on and stop where there are people about.
- If you are marooned, never hitch a lift.
- If possible, get the car out of the way of other traffic, then switch on its hazard warning lights and raise the bonnet.
- Use a mobile phone, or find the nearest public phone to call your motoring organisation or a garage for help. Give details of your location, car, cause of breakdown and motoring
- Return to your vehicle and, unless there's danger of collision, stay inside.
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