How to Handle a Breakdown on the Highway Safely

A vehicle breakdown on a busy highway is one of the most stressful situations a driver can face. Moving traffic, limited visibility, and the pressure of the situation can lead to poor decisions. Knowing in advance exactly what to do — and in what order — can keep a bad situation from becoming a dangerous one.

The Moment You Feel Something's Wrong

The first rule of a highway breakdown is: don't panic. Stay calm and assess what's happening. Common breakdown scenarios include a tire blowout, overheating, loss of power, or a sudden warning light followed by mechanical failure.

If you have any warning at all (engine temperature climbing, power loss, unusual noise), begin moving toward the right immediately. Signal, check your mirror, and start working your way across lanes as traffic allows. Your goal is the right shoulder — far to the right, as far from traffic as possible. Never stop in a travel lane if you can avoid it.

If the failure is sudden (tire blowout, sudden stall), maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel, ease off the gas gradually (don't jam the brakes), and steer toward the shoulder as smoothly and directly as traffic allows. A front or rear tire blowout will pull the vehicle in one direction — compensate with steering rather than overcorrecting.

Getting to Safety

Once you're off the travel lanes, continue onto the shoulder and pull as far right as possible — ideally past the solid white fog line and onto the paved shoulder beyond it. If a guardrail or barrier is present, stop where there's some space between your vehicle and the barrier.

On freeways with an exit nearby, consider whether you can safely coast to the exit and get completely off the freeway before stopping. A parking lot or side street is infinitely safer than a freeway shoulder.

If you're in a tunnel or on a bridge, try to get through it and to the other side before stopping if you have any power remaining.

Making the Vehicle Visible

Once stopped, immediately:

1. Turn on your hazard lights. This should happen the moment you know you're stopping, even before you've come to a rest.

2. Deploy warning triangles or flares — place the first one immediately behind your vehicle, then additional ones 100 and 300 feet behind you. Reflective triangles are reusable and safer than traditional flares near fuel spills. This step is critical at night or in low-visibility conditions.

3. Open the hood. An open hood is a universal signal of vehicle trouble and alerts other drivers and highway patrol to your situation.

4. Turn on your dome light at night so your vehicle is more visible and occupants can be seen.

Should You Stay or Get Out?

This is a judgment call that depends on conditions:

Stay in the vehicle if:

• Traffic is very fast and close to your vehicle
• The shoulder is very narrow with no safe pedestrian area
• You're on a bridge or in a tunnel
• Weather conditions (rain, fog, extreme cold) make standing outside dangerous

Get out and move away from the vehicle if:

• You smell fuel (fire/explosion risk)
• Your vehicle has been struck or is at risk of being struck
• There's adequate space and safety behind a barrier, guardrail, or away from traffic

If you get out, exit from the passenger side — away from traffic — and move up a slope or behind a guardrail if possible. Never stand between your vehicle and moving traffic.

Calling for Help

Call 911 if there's any safety concern — injury, fire, or if you're in a location where your vehicle is blocking traffic or creating significant danger. Dispatchers can alert highway patrol quickly.

For a routine breakdown with no immediate danger, call your roadside assistance provider (AAA, your auto insurance roadside service, or the roadside assistance number from your vehicle manufacturer). Have your location ready: the highway number, the direction you're traveling, the nearest mile marker (usually posted every mile on the freeway shoulder), and a description of your situation.

If you have cell service, your phone's maps app can give you your GPS coordinates or nearest intersection to relay to the operator.

While You Wait

Don't wander around the shoulder. Stay in or very close to your vehicle, away from the travel lanes. Keep your seatbelt on if you remain inside the vehicle — a parked vehicle on a freeway shoulder is occasionally struck by a distracted driver, and a seatbelt reduces injury risk even while stationary.

Don't accept rides from strangers. Wait for law enforcement or your roadside provider.

What to Keep in Your Vehicle

Preparedness makes breakdowns less dangerous:

• Warning triangles or reflective flares
• A bright flashlight (and extra batteries)
• A hi-visibility safety vest
• A phone charger or portable battery pack
• Jumper cables or a portable jump starter
• A basic first aid kit
• Water

A breakdown is inconvenient, but it doesn't have to be dangerous. The combination of calm action, making the vehicle visible, and waiting safely for help gets most drivers through the situation without injury.