What to do if your car broke down on the freeway?

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Originally Posted by Dave B

I love the people who put triangles 1m behind their car, like I'm going to notice the tiny red thing before the massive metal box hiding behind it.

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We had one case here in Melbourne around 10 months ago where a young mother remained in the car in the stopping lane with her baby. A truck hit her car and killed her but the baby survived.
My Volvo has those large horizontal hazard warning lights, but if I were to put the triangle anywhere, I'd hang it on the rear window's wiper blade, with as much of it sticking above the roof line as possible; and I'd hightail it out of there up a bank,or well beyond any crash barrier.
I know those blue flashing lights that you see cops on TV stick on top of the car would be helpful, but I don't know if they are legal.

It's strange that the [British] Highway Code does not say you should use your hazard warning lights for a 'normal' breakdown on the hard shoulder but only if you are stuck on the road or if you are disabled. I would have thought that switching on the hazard warning lights would be the first thing you should do - isn't that what they are intended for?

There is the issue of breaking down in very cold weather. Many people will not have big coats and cold weather gear with them if they are expecting to just go door to door. Sometimes recovery can take an hour or longer to get there. Your health may be at risk sitting out on a cold and wet embankment for that time.

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Originally Posted by Mark

There is the issue of breaking down in very cold weather. Many people will not have big coats and cold weather gear with them if they are expecting to just go door to door. Sometimes recovery can take an hour or longer to get there. Your health may be at risk sitting out on a cold and wet embankment for that time.

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Oh , come on , Mark .
It doesn't even get cold where you are .

It gets cold enough for an hour outside in a t-shirt not to do you any good. And it's not so much the cold as the constant rain...

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Originally Posted by Mark

It gets cold enough for an hour outside in a t-shirt not to do you any good. And it's not so much the cold as the constant rain...

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That proves it never gets cold there .
I have one of those thick , felted moving van blankets in the back , and never go out without the double-sweater action .

If I break down on one of our major highways , the first thing I do is flip on the four-ways , and run around the back of the car to clear those lights of snow .
And , I don't drive a white vehicle in winter .....ever .

start crying

Get out of the car on the traffic side. Work on your car right by the traffic flow. Then go onto the dual carriageway and wave down help. Best stand in the middle lane so people can see you.

Then sit in your car until help arrives, being sure never to sit on the bank safely out the way. Otherwise no one will ever see you.

I think that was what I was told. I good in an emergancy.

and don't forget to turn your lights off if it's dark, to save the battery for when you might need it...