What To Do If You Break Down On A Smart Motorway?

Breaking down on a smart motorway, whilst it may not be the most common, it does still happen more often than you probably realise. So, what should you do if you break down on a smart motorway in the United Kingdom?

Break Down Lay-by
It is recommended that if you notice your car is beginning to break down, that you try your best to drive to the next breakdown lay-by. These are clearly signposted with big blue signs and SOS orange telephones. These should only be used in an emergency when you have truly broken down and cannot exit the motorway. This way you will be able to get put into immediate contact with a rescue service who will be able to come and help you quickly. These laybys also give you a safe area to leave your car and stay out of your car where it is very unlikely to get damaged by other motorists. If you wish to leave the emergency refuge area you will need to contact the office again using the SOS phone to alert them to this change, you may wish to leave if you have managed to solve the issue yourself.

Hard Should / Far Left Lane
If you are not able to make it to the ERA, you should pull over to the far left-hand lane or the hard shoulder. On smart motorways, there will be people keeping track of everyone travelling. So once they notice they will close the lane you are situated in to enable you to get help as soon as possible. If the lane does not close you should contact the motorway company and alert them of your situation.

Stay Behind The Crash Barrier
No matter how tempting it is, you should not stay sitting in your vehicle as you never know when a crash may occur especially with a stationary vehicle on a high-speed road. To keep yourself and other passengers safe, you should situate yourself behind the crash barrier until help arrives.