Broken down on the M50? What to do, in order

The M50 sees thousands of incidents a year. When it is your car that stops, what you do in the first few minutes matters more than anything else. Here is the order that keeps people safe.

1. Get out of the live lane if you can

If the car is still rolling, indicate and steer onto the hard shoulder, or as far left as the road allows. Turn the wheels towards the verge once you stop. Hazard lights on straight away, and sidelights too if it is dark or foggy.

2. Everyone out, on the verge side

Get passengers out through the doors away from the traffic. Move everyone behind the barrier and up the bank if there is one. Do not stand behind or beside the car. Lorries pass very close, and a car on the hard shoulder can be hit.

A muddy 4x4 pickup waiting for recovery at night in Dublin — Wait away from the car, behind the barrier, until the truck arrives. Number plates blurred.

3. Leave the car alone

Do not lift the bonnet, change a wheel or try a jump start beside motorway traffic. It is not worth it on any road, and especially not on the M50.

4. Make the calls

If anyone is hurt, or you feel you are in danger, call 112 first. Do not wait.

Then ring a recovery company. With us, the call is short. We need:

Your name
The registration
Where the car is: the direction you were travelling, the last junction you passed and any sign or bridge nearby
Where you want the car taken: home, your garage or a dealer, ideally as an Eircode

A map pin from your phone helps a lot. Most phones can share your location in a message.

Recovery CC tow truck at night carrying a large SUV on a Dublin petrol station forecourt — Breakdown recovery at night: an SUV on the Atego. Number plates blurred.

5. Agree the price, then wait somewhere safe

We give you the figure on the call: a standard call-out from €150, plus €2 per km depending on the destination. The truck sets off once you have agreed to it. Then go back behind the barrier, keep your phone on and keep warm. Lock the car if you can do it without standing in traffic.

Van towing in Dublin at night: a white van loaded on a flatbed tow truck at a petrol station — A van on the deck at a forecourt, late in the evening. Number plates blurred.

If it is a van or an electric car

Say so at the start of the call. Electric cars should be moved with all four wheels off the road, and vans need to be planned around their size and load. See our pages on electric car towing and van towing.

A few things not to do

Do not walk along the hard shoulder to look for a sign. Use your phone’s map instead.
Do not accept help from someone who pulls in unasked and wants to tow you on a rope.
Do not go back to the car for belongings while traffic is passing.

The car can be sorted later. Getting everyone behind the barrier is the job that cannot wait. When you are ready, ring us on 087 116 1102.