Breakdowns, Fires & Tunnel Emergencies

A breakdown on an ordinary road, a motorway, and inside a tunnel each call for a different response. Learn all three, plus what to do if a vehicle catches fire.

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⏱️ About 10 min

A breakdown is stressful enough without wondering what to do next. The right response actually depends on where you are — an ordinary road, a motorway, or a tunnel all call for a different first move, and getting it right keeps you safe while you wait for help.

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The big idea: On an ordinary road, get off the carriageway and warn others. On a motorway, use the hard shoulder or an emergency refuge area and get well away from the vehicle. In a tunnel, use the dedicated emergency phone and follow the posted procedure. A vehicle fire always means: get everyone out first.

🎯 By the end, you'll be able to

Describe the breakdown procedure on an ordinary road, including triangle placement and distance
Describe the breakdown procedure on a motorway, including the hard shoulder, refuge areas, and emergency phones
Explain the first response to a vehicle fire
Describe what to do if your vehicle breaks down or catches fire inside a tunnel

📎 Helpful to know first

At the Scene of an Incident

Breaking down on an ordinary road

If your vehicle starts to fail, try to get it well off the carriageway — onto a verge, side road, or car park — rather than leaving it blocking a traffic lane. Once stopped, switch on your hazard warning lights straight away, and use sidelights too if it's dark or visibility is poor.

🔑 The warning triangle: how far back, and where it doesn't belong

If you're carrying a warning triangle, place it on the same side of the road, at least 45 metres behind your vehicle, so approaching traffic has real notice something is wrong. Once it's set up, get yourself and any passengers well away from the vehicle and off the carriageway — don't stand between your car and passing traffic.

Never place a warning triangle on a motorway. The speed of motorway traffic makes walking back along the carriageway to place or retrieve one far too dangerous — motorway breakdowns follow a different procedure entirely, covered next.

Breaking down on a motorway

If you can, get your vehicle onto the hard shoulder or, on stretches with them, into a marked emergency refuge area, and pull as far to the left as possible. Put your hazard warning lights on, and if it's dark, keep your sidelights on too.

Then get out on the left-hand, passenger side — away from passing traffic — and get yourself and any passengers behind the safety barrier if there is one, well clear of the hard shoulder and the moving carriageway. Leave pets in the vehicle unless there's a good reason not to.

⚠️ Use the roadside emergency phone if you can reach one

Orange marker posts along the verge point the way to the nearest roadside emergency phone, which connects straight to the operator and means they immediately know your exact location — a real advantage over a mobile call. If you use a mobile instead, give your location as precisely as you can, using the marker post numbers or the nearest driver location sign. Face away from the traffic while you speak, and stay behind the barrier, not on the hard shoulder itself.

If there's no hard shoulder to reach

Where a section of motorway is being run without a usable hard shoulder and you can't reach a refuge area, that's a more serious situation: put your hazards on, stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt on unless you can get out and safely up an embankment or behind a barrier, and call for help as soon as you can. This is one of the riskiest breakdown situations, precisely because there's no safe verge to move to.

Vehicle fire: get everyone out first

If you suspect your vehicle is on fire — smoke, a burning smell, visible flame — the priority is simple: get everyone out of the vehicle and well away from it before doing anything else, including before trying to retrieve belongings. Call the fire service as soon as you're safely clear.

Resist the urge to fully open the bonnet if you smell burning or see smoke from the engine — a rush of fresh air can feed a fire that's smouldering underneath and make it flare up. Keep bystanders back too; a vehicle fire can spread and intensify faster than it looks like it will.

Breaking down or a fire inside a tunnel

Tunnels are their own environment: smoke has nowhere to go, and space is tight, so tunnels have a dedicated emergency procedure and their own emergency phones, sited at regular intervals along the wall — use one of these rather than a mobile if you possibly can, since it alerts the tunnel control centre directly.

If you break down, switch on hazard warning lights, turn off the engine, and get yourself and any passengers out and toward the nearest emergency exit sign or point if it's safe to do so, rather than staying in the vehicle. If there's a fire, do the same — get out and clear of the vehicle, follow the emergency exit signage, and do not attempt to turn your vehicle around or reverse against the flow of traffic. Follow any instructions given over the tunnel's speakers or displayed on its signals; they're managed from a control centre watching the whole tunnel, not just your section.

Check your understanding

1. Your car breaks down on an ordinary two-way road and you have a warning triangle. Where should you place it?

A warning triangle needs to be placed well back — at least 45 metres — so approaching traffic gets real notice, and it belongs on the same side as your vehicle.

2. You break down on a motorway with a hard shoulder. What should you do after pulling onto it?

Exit on the passenger side, away from traffic, and get well clear of the vehicle and the hard shoulder — never place a warning triangle on a motorway.

3. You smell burning coming from your engine while driving. What should you do?

Get everyone out and away from the vehicle first. Opening the bonnet fully can feed a smouldering fire with fresh air and make it worse.

4. Your vehicle breaks down inside a road tunnel. What should you do?

Tunnels have dedicated emergency phones and exit points for this reason. Turn off the engine, use hazards, and move to safety rather than staying with the vehicle — and never reverse or turn around in a tunnel.

✅ Key takeaways

On an ordinary road: get off the carriageway, hazards on, triangle at least 45m behind — never on a motorway.
On a motorway: use the hard shoulder or a refuge area, exit on the passenger side, and get well behind the barrier.
Use a roadside or tunnel emergency phone where one is available — it gives your exact location automatically.
Vehicle fire: get everyone out and clear first; don't fully open the bonnet if you suspect fire underneath.
In a tunnel: turn off the engine, use hazard lights, head for the nearest emergency exit, and never reverse or turn around.

➡️ That completes this module: you now know how to respond at the scene, how to help a casualty, and how to handle a breakdown or fire wherever it happens. Explore the rest of the course to keep building toward test day.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I place a warning triangle if I break down?

At least 45 metres behind your vehicle, on the same side of the road — but never on a motorway, where walking back to place one is too dangerous.

What should I do if my car breaks down on a motorway?

Pull onto the hard shoulder or an emergency refuge area if you can, put your hazard lights on, then get out on the passenger side and move well away from the vehicle, ideally behind a safety barrier.

What should I do if my vehicle catches fire in a tunnel?

Turn off the engine, switch on hazard warning lights, get everyone out and clear of the vehicle, and head for the nearest emergency exit — never reverse or turn around inside the tunnel.

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Independent educational content — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the DVSA, DVLA, or any government body. This is study material, not legal advice; always confirm current rules in the official Highway Code.