Road-side shoulders: for emergencies only
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2015-06-17
Drivers have a key role to play in reducing death and injury, both to themselves and to those who attend them in any kind of road-side emergency. RAC Motoring Services in the U.K. says that roadway shoulders are for emergency use only and drivers should only stop there if it is a real emergency and have no other choice. Thousands of people die each year in these situations. Don't stop to:
- Go to the toilet
- Use a mobile telephone
- Check a route or map
- Do anything else that can wait until you are in a safe place
If an emergency forces you to stop, then:
- Use the hard shoulder as a deceleration lane
- Watch out for debris on the hard shoulder that could damage your vehicle
- Pull over to the left as far as you can and turn your front wheels towards the nearside verge
- Turn on your hazard lights
- Unless you have a disability that prevents this, you and any occupants should leave the vehicle via the passenger doors and move far away from the traffic.
- Don't attempt to repair your vehicle on a hard shoulder. It is highly dangerous, particularly on the side nearest the traffic. Use a road-side telephone to get professional help.
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