Drivers ‘put themselves in danger’ during motorway breakdowns

Nearly 80% of drivers would unknowingly put themselves in danger after breaking down on the motorway, a new survey shows. Only 22% of the 1,900 drivers surveyed by the RAC would do the right thing after breaking down on one of the UK’s fastest roads – standing to the rear of their vehicle and as far as possible from traffic, ideally behind a barrier if there was one.

The RAC says 11% of respondents said they would stay in their vehicle, leaving them at greater risk of being seriously injured or killed if another vehicle were to hit them. Some 65% would also unwittingly put themselves at risk by standing either in front of or next to their car, where they could be hit in the event of another driver colliding with their broken-down vehicle.

The RAC says the survey corresponds with reports from nearly 200 of its patrols, who found 78% of drivers they have attended who had broken down on motorways were still in their vehicles when they arrived.