RAC Know-How

Motorists have a key role to play in reducing death and injury, both to themselves and to those who attend them in any kind of emergency on motorways or high-speed dual carriageways.

Motorway hard shoulders are for emergency use only and you should only stop there if it is a real emergency and you have no other choice. Try to drive to a safer place off the motorway if you can, rather than stopping on the hard shoulder.

You should be properly prepared for your journey and you must not stop on the hard shoulder to:

• Go to the toilet.
• Use a mobile telephone.
• Check a route or map.
• Do anything else that can wait until you are in a safe place.

If an emergency forces you to stop, then:

• Use the hard shoulder as a deceleration lane before coming to a halt.
• Watch out for debris on the hard shoulder that could damage your vehicle.
• Pull over to the left as far as you can and turn your front wheels towards the nearside verge.
• Turn on your hazard lights.
• Turn on sidelights when visibility is poor.

You are the best person to decide what is safest for you, but it is recommended that:

• You and any occupants leave the vehicle via the passenger doors and move as far away from the traffic as you can.
• You don't attempt to repair your vehicle on a hard shoulder. It is highly dangerous, particularly on the side nearest the traffic. Use a motorway telephone to get professional help.

Emergency telephones

• When calling for help, use the motorway emergency telephones if you can. These are linked to motorway police control centres, allowing them to pinpoint your position and get help to you quickly. If you have to use a mobile phone then be particularly careful to stay away from the traffic.
• When walking along the hard shoulder to or from the telephone, keep as far away from the traffic as possible, and keep in mind the danger that it poses.
• Remember that motorway telephones are never more than one mile apart. A blue and white marker post is placed at every 100 metres, with an arrow to point you in the direction of the nearest phone.

Waiting for assistance

• When you return to your vehicle the safest place for you and any passengers to wait for help to arrive is behind the crash barrier if there is one, or near your vehicle on the embankment or adjacent land. Move up the bank or verge as far as possible keeping an eye on the oncoming traffic.
• If it is not possible to wait in this manner or you feel threatened, then return to your vehicle and wait in the front passenger seat with doors locked, keeping a watch on the oncoming traffic. When you feel it is safe to do so, return to the safe place near your vehicle. There is a perception that a 'lone female' is at risk of being attacked on a motorway hard shoulder. Research shows that the risk of being hit by another vehicle is much greater.
• Once your vehicle is repaired, return to the motorway by using the hard shoulder as an acceleration lane, merging with the traffic in lane one when you have reached a similar speed and there is an appropriate gap.

Information from SURVIVE (Safe Use of Roadside Verges In Vehicle Emergencies) Group. Members include RAC, ACPO, Institution of Civil Engineers, SMMT and AA.

Footnote

If you have a disability which prevents you from following the above advice you should:

• Stay in your vehicle.
• Switch on your hazard warning lights.
• At the time of placing your emergency call, inform the call handler of your particular circumstances and requirements.

Author(s)
SURVIVE