Treat traffic exposure as the first emergency

  1. 01
    Move out of the travel lane if the vehicle still responds

    Signal, reduce speed smoothly, and use the nearest safe shoulder, exit, rest area, or other protected location you can reach without making a risky maneuver. Stopping farther from fast traffic is usually more useful than stopping near the first place you notice the problem.

  2. 02
    Make the disabled vehicle visible

    Turn on the hazard flashers. At night or in poor visibility, use the vehicle's lights as appropriate without draining an already weak battery. Reflective warning devices should only be placed when you can do so without walking into traffic.

  3. 03
    Decide where passengers are safest

    If the car is well outside traffic and there is no fire, smoke, rising water, or other immediate hazard, remaining buckled inside may reduce exposure to traffic. If the vehicle is in a dangerous position, move people only to a clearly safer protected area and avoid crossing active lanes.

  4. 04
    Call for the level of help the situation requires

    Use 911 for an immediate collision risk, injuries, fire, a vehicle blocking lanes, or another urgent hazard. For a routine disabled vehicle in a safe position, use roadside assistance, a towing provider, or the highway-agency service available in that area.

Before you step out with a jack or tool bag, ask these questions

  • Is the vehicle completely outside the travel lane and away from an exit gore or narrow shoulder?
  • Would opening the driver-side door place you directly next to moving traffic?
  • Is there smoke, fuel odor, leaking fluid, a damaged wheel, or another reason not to stay near the vehicle?
  • Can the repair be completed without standing, kneeling, or lying next to traffic?
  • Do you actually have a safe jacking surface and enough room around the vehicle?
  • Would a tow be safer than trying to diagnose the failure at the roadside?

A wide shoulder and a live lane are not the same roadside problem

Vehicle is well off the roadway
Calling for help and waiting in the safest protected position available

You may have time to check simple information such as warning lights or location details, but traffic exposure still matters more than finishing a DIY repair.

Vehicle is partly in a lane or on a very narrow shoulder
Emergency assistance and rapid traffic protection

Do not focus on troubleshooting. Make yourself visible, avoid standing around the car, and tell emergency dispatchers exactly how much of the vehicle is exposed to traffic.

Vehicle has smoke, fire, or a strong fuel odor
Immediate evacuation to a safer location and emergency response

Move people away from the vehicle and traffic, call 911, and do not open components or attempt a repair near a suspected fire or fuel leak.

Stop and get help

Do not trade a mechanical problem for a roadside-strike risk

High-speed roadside environments leave little room for driver error. Do not change a tire, crawl under a vehicle, inspect the traffic-side wheel, or walk along the roadway simply because the repair seems straightforward. If you cannot create enough separation from traffic to work safely, wait for trained roadside or towing assistance.