Autoaid left us on A1 for nearly 4 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DB1904

shiraz99 said:

daveyjp said:

This is why emergency phones were provided, they went straight to a police/highways who could get assistance to the scene,

Now with mobiles drivers automatically call the breakdown service.

If you break down on a high speed road call the police immediately.

But not by using 999.

What number would you advise to get an immediate response?

user1977

DB1904 said:

shiraz99 said:

daveyjp said:

This is why emergency phones were provided, they went straight to a police/highways who could get assistance to the scene,

Now with mobiles drivers automatically call the breakdown service.

If you break down on a high speed road call the police immediately.

But not by using 999.

What number would you advise to get an immediate response?

The official advice is to phone 999 for breakdowns in a live lane on a motorway - I don't see why the principle would be different on a NSL non-motorway dual carriageway.

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/driving-on-motorways/

DB1904

user1977 said:

DB1904 said:

shiraz99 said:

daveyjp said:

This is why emergency phones were provided, they went straight to a police/highways who could get assistance to the scene,

Now with mobiles drivers automatically call the breakdown service.

If you break down on a high speed road call the police immediately.

But not by using 999.

What number would you advise to get an immediate response?

The official advice is to phone 999 for breakdowns in a live lane on a motorway - I don't see why the principle would be different on a NSL non-motorway dual carriageway.

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/driving-on-motorways/

Correct...

motorguy

Fortyfoot said:

Broke down at 19.20, tyre bow out on rear wheel at 70mph.

They said they would be with us within an hour, then 15 minutes, then two minutes, what a joke.

In the end I called 999 about 21.45, the police said they knew about me and it was a flat tyre!

Breakdown driver would not move us till police closed A1 inside lane. Breakdown driver was in the cafe 2 minutes down the road.

Police and breakdown arrived about 23.00, only took ten minutes to change the wheel.

We saw about 6 AA vans etc pass while we were stranded there. At least it was a dry warm evening.
 
I have used then a few times before but was never as bad as this.

I'm curious as to why you think this is an AutoAid issue or even the breakdown drivers?

He correctly waited for police support to resolve a breakdown on a live carriageway?

What alternative did he have?

What would the AA have done differently?

[Deleted User]

Car_54 said:

On the positive side, it shows the value of having a spare wheel.

Would not have helped at all.

seatbeltnoob

can'rt fault RAC and AA, i hear on hear people using low cost breakdown like greenflag.

I see AA and RAC vans everywhere all the time, it's once in a blue moon I see a greenflag van. RAC rescue saved my !!!!!! a few days ago. My fuel pump went - came over within an hour (I thought with all public services with looooong waiting rtimes and covid reappearing that it would take ages). But they came quick and diagnosed the fuel pump. did all the regular checks, tested the fuses and then narrowed it down to fuel pump and gave it a thump while asking me to crank and the fuel pump came back to life. Asked me to drive straight home, use local roads, avid A roads and don't turn off the engine. Did just that at arrived home without cutting out.

New fuel pump delivered 2 days later - fitted and car is working again.

I had 2 callouts before for flat batteries, was with AA and RAC, they're always polite and professional and they fix the problem.

seatbeltnoob

shiraz99 said:

daveyjp said:

This is why emergency phones were provided, they went straight to a police/highways who could get assistance to the scene,

Now with mobiles drivers automatically call the breakdown service.

If you break down on a high speed road call the police immediately.

But not by using 999.

A bit pedantic. 111 or 999. I'm sure they will deal with it all the same.

seatbeltnoob

OP wants breakdown person to risk their life to get them on their journey a bit quicker.

ontheroad1970

seatbeltnoob said:

shiraz99 said:

daveyjp said:

This is why emergency phones were provided, they went straight to a police/highways who could get assistance to the scene,

Now with mobiles drivers automatically call the breakdown service.

If you break down on a high speed road call the police immediately.

But not by using 999.

A bit pedantic. 111 or 999. I'm sure they will deal with it all the same.

111 is NHS direct.  101 is what you mean.

iwb100

Some of the advice here is shocking. Firstly always call emergency services in this situation. Never try and change it yourself on a fast road pulled into a verge. Secondly the breakdown provider isn’t response for police being unable to attend promptly. They can’t magically make changing your tyre safe either without the police.

Thirdly the fact that some breakdown services use branded vehicles or have more of them is not relevant to the service provided. All breakdown services will contract out to local vehicle recovery and emergency repair firms do you can be with the AA and get a local mechanic in his unbranded van from down the road. 

Most of these local firms work for more than one major service too. So there is little difference between the various breakdown services in this regard,