How to safely manage a caravan breakdown
Regardless of how well you maintain your vehicle and tourer, car, caravan, or component failure is possible. Yet, while the prospect of a car and caravan breakdown may weigh on your mind, there are things you can do to minimise the impact and keep your family safe in the process.
Breakdowns occur for several reasons, but tyre issues are among the most common. Tyres can deflate or, worse, blow out due to underinflation, overinflation, and punctures from sharp objects. Damage to tyres, wheel rims, and suspension caused by hitting potholes is also rising.
When you consider having six wheels between a tow vehicle and a single-axle tourer and eight wheels if you are towing a twin-axle caravan, it’s easy to see why caravanners’ chances of tyre and wheel-related breakdowns increase.
Managing a car and caravan breakdown begins with a little forward-thinking. It’s a good idea to assume the incident will occur at the most inconvenient time, in the worst location, and in the pouring rain. So plan for the worst and have the following items in easy reach:
- coats or waterproof jackets for when it’s cold or raining
- high-viz vests for each member of the family
- warning triangle (not for use on motorways)
- a torch, in case you break down in the dark
- a mobile phone with a decent charge
- the name and contact number of your breakdown cover provider
- the National Highways Agency telephone number (0300 123 5000) saved on your phone
- the what3words app
Now you have the basics ready, let’s look at the best course of action to take depending on where you break down:
Breaking down on a motorway
Motorways are dangerous places to stop. Always pull into a service station or leave at the next junction to park wherever possible.
If not, then follow our specific guidance:
Pulling over on a motorway with a hard shoulder
When you detect an issue, indicate left and move onto the hard shoulder.
Try to stop near an emergency ‘SOS’ telephone. Even if you plan to use a breakdown app or call recovery from your mobile phone, the emergency telephone location number will be handy.
Now, turn on your hazard warning lights as you pull to a stop. Turn the headlights off to conserve battery power, but leave the sidelights and rear lights on if it’s dark. If it’s foggy, turn on the rear fog lights.
Make sure you leave enough space for passengers to open nearside doors. Ask everyone to leave the vehicle quickly, and always exit the car on the furthest side from the traffic. Then, ensure everyone is behind a safety barrier or standing on the verge well back from the hard shoulder.
Hopefully, everyone’s possessions were within easy reach, but if you need to get into the boot, take care and use your partner or a family member as a lookout. Accidents often happen when traffic drifts into the hard shoulder, thinking it’s an active lane with a moving car ahead.
Top Tip! The National Highways Agency recommends that dogs remain secured inside the vehicle if you have one. The side of a motorway is noisy, and if a dog panics and breaks free, it could cause a significant accident.
Walking down a hard shoulder to lay a triangle down is dangerous and should be avoided. Instead, call National Highways in an emergency or use a mobile phone to report the breakdown. A Police vehicle or traffic officer should arrive before too long, park behind you and use their flashing lights to let the traffic know there is a hazard.
Finally, call your car and caravan breakdown cover provider to request recovery or repair.
Stopping on a motorway without a hard shoulder
Some motorways don’t have a hard shoulder. Instead, they have orange-painted emergency areas with blue signs. Unless you have a critical vehicle or tourer incident, you should be able to make it to an emergency area.
The safety procedure is the same as pulling into a hard shoulder. The objective is to get you and your passengers away from the vehicle and moving traffic as quickly as possible.
Once again, call National Highways on 0300 123 5000 to report the incident and then your recovery provider.
IMPORTANT! Unlike a hard shoulder, an emergency area isn’t long enough to build a safe speed before rejoining the motorway. So, if your tow car or caravan is repaired at the roadside, call National Highways before you set off. They can close the lane or update traffic signs to help keep you safe.
Breaking down in a live lane or roadworks
If you break down and there is no hard shoulder, or you can’t get to an emergency zone or place of safety or are stuck in temporary roadworks, then follow these steps:
- Keep your seatbelts on
- Put your hazard lights on
- Phone 999 and ask for assistance
Breaking down on A, B or C-roads
An A-road is a major road and a single or dual carriageway. By comparison, B and C-roads are minor roads.
If you break down on an A-road, try to pull into a lay-by or take an exit onto a B or C-road. If this isn’t possible, switch on your hazards and get you and your passengers away from the vehicle to a place of safety as quickly as possible. Other cars might be approaching up to 70mph on a dual carriageway, and there may be less time for them to react than on a motorway. Never attempt to change a wheel or fix a car when you are stationary in a live lane on an A-road.
The procedure for B and C-roads differs depending on the situation.
Wherever possible, avoid stopping in a hazardous location such as:
- on the brow of a hill
- on the approach to a sharp bend
- mid-way around a blind bend
- on a roundabout
If this is unavoidable, put your hazard indicators on and move you and your passengers away from the vehicle. Then, contact 999 before calling for breakdown assistance.
If you’ve stopped in a safe area, you can place a warning triangle at least 50m behind your caravan. However, take care when walking towards traffic and wear high-viz clothing to stand out.
Top Tip! If you’ve ever had to give anyone your location, but no road signs or landmarks are in sight, you’ll know how frustrating this can be. One answer is to ensure you have the what3words app installed on your phone.
Summary
Breakdowns may be unavoidable, but now you know how to prepare for and manage an incident effectively. However, preparation also involves proper maintenance. Why not read our wheel and tyre safety, torque wrench, caravan load, and noseweight articles for extra peace of mind?