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RAC Failure to Respond or Attend Breakdown
Comments
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The RAC website also advises
“If you are broken down on a live lane, keep your hazard warning lights on, seatbelts fastened, and stay in your car. Call 999 and do not exit the car.”No further information is given
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Is that really the best advice? On a normal motorway, I would get out of the car, hop over the crash barrier into the central reservation, then walk a distance away from the car.
If it sticks, force it.
If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.0 -
Not sure exactly where you're sourcing that from, but this page clearly advises leaving the car (to the left):
Broken down on the motorway? This is what you should do
Move your vehicle off the motorway by exiting at the next junction. If you cannot exit the motorway, pull onto the hard shoulder as far left as you can
Park the vehicle, switch on your hazard warning lights and turn your steering wheel left to angle the wheels away from traffic
Ensure everyone exits the vehicle through the left-hand doors, away from moving traffic
If possible, everyone should wear high visibility clothing, such as a hi-vis vest
Climb over the safety barrier and stand well away from the road
Contact your breakdown provider and wait for assistance in a safe location. If you feel you are in immediate danger, call the emergency services by dialling 999
The central reservation would surely only be an extreme last resort if you were in the rightmost lane with traffic continuing to flow freely in the others, and the normal recommendation, as above, would be to exit to the left?
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The OP does say that they were stranded in a "live" lane, but didn't elaborate further as I recall.
Jenni x0 -
Ah yes, they actually said this and the subject of motorways was introduced by others:
My partner and I broke down in a live lane of a dual carriageway on an exceptionally busy traffic day - a Saturday. Hazards on, exited car to the safest location possible. A very dangerous scenario.
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How does one move a car that is stranded in the live lane to the hard shoulder?
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One for the police or Highway Agency to do safely. Unless a helpful lorry driver blocks lane & allows you to push to hard shoulder.
Also if you do exit car best to go back up road. So anyone hitting car would not be liable to punt anything in your direction.
Life in the slow lane1 -
Broken down on a motorway and can’t get to the hard shoulder
- Try to get into the leftmost lane and as far off the carriageway as possible
- Keep your seatbelt fastened and switch on your hazard lights
- Get out of the car only if you can safely get clear of the carriageway
- Do not attempt to place a warning triangle
- Call 999 first
- Then contact us
If you can’t get to the leftmost lane, stay in your car with your seatbelt and hazard lights on, then call 999.
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Why has a Motorway been introduced?
The O.P. has not mentioned that, only a "dual carriageway". Yes, a Motorway is a dual carriageway, but I would have expected the O.P.'s first post to be more precise if that were the case.
However, I would exit the car on the left, Motorway or not, if there was sufficient space on the left to take safer refuge
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What you do if stranded in the live lane of a dual carriage way would be the same as you'd do in the live lane of a motorway, would it not?
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