On a motorway, traffic passes at speeds that leave very little room for error. A car stopped on the hard shoulder can still be hit, and people standing beside it are at real risk. Most of the advice below comes back to one idea: put distance between yourself and the traffic, and let the help come to you.
If you are on the M50 specifically, our M50 step by step covers the first few minutes in order. This note covers motorways and dual carriageways across the country, with more on giving your location and what to say on the call.
Get as far left as you can
If the car is losing power, indicate early and move into the left lane, then onto the hard shoulder. Stop as far to the left as you safely can, with the wheels turned towards the verge. If you can reach an exit or a service area before the car stops, that is better still.
Hazard lights on straight away, and sidelights too in the dark or in poor weather.
Out of the car, and away from it
In most cases it is safer to get out than to stay in. Leave by the doors on the verge side, take everyone with you and go behind the safety barrier. Move up the bank if there is one, and stand a little upstream of the car, so that if anything hits it you are not in the way.
The exception is when getting out would put someone in more danger, for example if there is no hard shoulder, no barrier and nowhere to go. Then stay in with your seatbelt on and call 112 straight away.
Do not use a warning triangle on a motorway. Putting one out means walking along the hard shoulder, which is more dangerous than doing without.
When to ring 112 or 999 first
- Anyone is hurt
- The car has stopped in a live lane
- You cannot get off the carriageway or behind a barrier
- There is debris on the road, smoke or fire
- You feel unsafe for any other reason
The emergency services can manage the traffic around you in a way no recovery company can. Ring them first, then ring for recovery.
How to give your location on a motorway
This is where a lot of time is lost. “On the M1 near Drogheda” can mean many kilometres of road in both directions. Help arrives faster when you can give:
- The motorway number and direction. “M7, heading towards Dublin” or “southbound towards Wexford”
- The last junction you passed, and the next one if you saw the sign
- Anything nearby you can see, such as a bridge, a service area, a toll plaza or a distance sign
Some stretches have small numbered markers or reference signs along the verge. If you can read one from where you are standing safely, it can pinpoint your position. Do not walk along the hard shoulder to find one.
Your phone can usually share your location as a map pin. Send it by message if the recovery company asks. If the map shows your position on the wrong carriageway, say so, because it happens on roads where the two sides are close together.
What to say when you ring
Keep it simple:
- Your name and the registration
- The motorway, the direction and the last junction
- Whether everyone is safely behind the barrier
- What the car did before it stopped
- Where you want the car taken
With us, that last part is the destination Eircode, such as your home or garage. We work out the price on the call, a standard call-out from €150 plus €2 per km depending on the destination, and the truck sets off once you have agreed. If it is a van or an electric car, say so at the start. See van recovery and electric car towing.
Leave the repairs for later
Changing a wheel on the hard shoulder means kneeling on the traffic side of the car, with your back to vehicles passing at speed. Lifting the bonnet to have a look means standing beside the car. Neither is worth it. A tyre or a fault that could be fixed at the roadside somewhere quiet is still a reason to wait for help on a motorway.
Dual carriageways
Many national roads are dual carriageways rather than motorways. Some have a hard shoulder, some only a narrow strip, and some have none at all. The same idea applies: get off the carriageway if there is any way to do it, then get people behind a barrier or onto the verge. If you are stuck in a lane, call 112.
Some examples
Sudden loss of power on the M7
The car loses power and a warning light comes on. The driver indicates, moves left, stops on the hard shoulder and turns on the hazards. Everyone gets out on the verge side and goes up the bank behind the barrier. Then the call: “M7 westbound, just past the last junction, near a bridge.”
A puncture on a busy dual carriageway
The tyre goes and there is only a narrow strip. The driver gets as far left as possible, gets everyone out and away from the road, and rings for help rather than trying the wheel change.
An older car overheating on a long run
The temperature needle climbs on a long drive. The driver takes the next exit and stops in a safe spot to let the engine cool, rather than stopping on the hard shoulder and opening the bonnet. There is more on this in our note on older vehicles.
Keep in the car
- High-visibility vests for the adults
- A warm layer or blanket, because standing on a motorway bank in the rain gets cold quickly
- A phone charging cable
- A torch
While you wait
Stay behind the barrier and keep your phone on, so the driver can ring when they are close. Do not go back to the car for bags or to check on it while traffic is passing. If it starts getting dark or the weather turns, stay where you are. When the truck arrives, wait for the driver to tell you when it is safe to come down.
Common mistakes
- Sitting in the car on the hard shoulder because it is raining
- Standing behind the car to wave at traffic
- Walking along the hard shoulder to look for a sign
- Trying a quick fix beside the traffic
- Accepting a tow on a rope from someone who pulls in unasked
When you are safe, ring us on 087 116 1102, or read more about breakdown recovery.