Most learners practise how to start, steer and stop, and far fewer are taught what to do when a car will not. The Highway Code covers breakdowns and incidents in rules 275 to 287, including where to stop, what to do on a motorway, and what a driver must do after a collision. The Code applies to England, Scotland and Wales, and the motorway rules cite separate regulations for England and Wales and for Scotland. This article covers the driver-duty and vehicle-safety parts of those rules, and is general information, not legal advice.
Choosing a place of relative safety: rule 275
The Code says that when a vehicle must stop after a breakdown or incident, the driver should try to reach a “place of relative safety”, where the driver, passengers and vehicle are less likely to be at risk from moving traffic. The safest place is somewhere designed for parking; on motorways and other high-speed roads that means a service area. Other examples are lay-bys, emergency areas and hard shoulders, though the Code warns hard shoulders give less protection than other places because they are so close to fast traffic. Passengers should keep well away from the vehicle and moving traffic where possible, because traffic that collides with the car could force it into them.
Breakdowns on ordinary roads: rule 276
- Get the vehicle off the road if possible, and use hazard warning lights if it is causing an obstruction.
- Wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight and reflective clothing at night or in poor visibility.
- Put a warning triangle on the road at least 45 metres (147 feet) behind the vehicle on the same side, or use other permitted warning devices, with great care when placing or retrieving them. The Code says never to use them on motorways.
- Keep sidelights on if it is dark or visibility is poor, and do not stand, or let anyone else stand, between the vehicle and oncoming traffic.
Breakdowns on motorways: rules 277 to 278
Rule 277 says a driver with a problem should leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if possible. If not, the Code sets out a “Go left, get safe, get help” sequence. Go left means moving to the left lane, pulling into an emergency area or onto a hard shoulder if possible, stopping as far left as possible with the wheels turned left, stopping just beyond an emergency telephone if possible, and switching on hazard lights (and sidelights in the dark). Get safe means leaving by the door furthest from traffic if it is safe and possible and getting well away from the vehicle and moving traffic. Get help means using the free emergency telephone or a breakdown recovery service, facing the traffic while speaking, and telling them if the caller is a vulnerable motorist such as a disabled or older person or someone travelling alone.
If a driver cannot reach the left lane or a place of relative safety and cannot safely leave the vehicle, the Code says to stay in the vehicle with seat belts and hazard lights on and call 999, asking for the police, or press the vehicle’s SOS button if it has one. It says not to return to the vehicle to wait because of rain, cold or dark, not to attempt repairs, and never to place a warning triangle on the carriageway. Animals must be kept in the vehicle or, in an emergency, under control on the verge. To report a location the Code lists eCall, a mobile mapping application, or the numbers and letters on marker posts or driver location signs along the road edge.
Obstructions and passing incidents: rules 280 to 281
If something falls from a vehicle onto a motorway or other high-speed road, the Code says not to remove it but to stop in a place of relative safety and call 999. On other roads, an obstruction should be removed only if it is safe to do so. Where emergency or incident support vehicles show flashing lights ahead, drivers should slow down and be ready to change lanes or stop, and must follow directions from police or traffic officers.
After a collision: rules 286 and 287
Under rule 286 a driver involved in a collision that causes damage or injury to another person, vehicle, animal or property must stop, ideally in a place of relative safety. They must give their own and the vehicle owner’s name and address and the registration number to anyone with reasonable grounds for requiring them. If the details are not given at the time, the driver must report the collision to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours. Under rule 287, if another person is injured and the driver does not produce an insurance certificate at the time, the driver must report to the police as soon as possible and in any case within 24 hours and produce the certificate to the police within seven days.
Annex 5 of the Code lists failing to stop after an accident or failing to report one as carrying up to six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, discretionary disqualification and 5 to 10 penalty points. The site’s explainer on the New Drivers Act covers the 6-point revocation rule for drivers within two years of passing.
Common questions
Should I put a warning triangle out on a motorway?
No. The Code says never to use warning triangles on motorways, and rule 277 lists not placing one on the carriageway as a do-not.
How soon must a collision be reported to the police?
Where a driver does not give their details at the scene, rule 286 says as soon as reasonably practicable and within 24 hours.
The bottom line
The Highway Code’s breakdown rules come down to reaching a place of relative safety, being seen, staying away from moving traffic and calling for help. On motorways it advises a driver who cannot leave the vehicle safely to stay in it and call 999. After a collision involving damage or injury, a driver must stop, give details and report within 24 hours if details were not exchanged, and Annex 5 lists penalties for failing to do so. The rules apply in England, Scotland and Wales.
Sources
- GOV.UK, “The Highway Code: Breakdowns and incidents (275 to 287)”
- GOV.UK, “The Highway Code: Annex 5. Penalties”