These are potentially the most dangerous roads on which a breakdown can occur due to the amount of cars present and the speeds they attain.

Pulling over on the hard shoulder of a motorway is usually prohibited; except of course if your vehicle suffers a failure. If this is the case then you obviously have no other choice, and should follow the following five steps:

1. Park as far to the left as possible in order to ensure maximum distance between your vehicle and the moving traffic. It is recommended that you point your wheels towards the grass verge in the event of your car rolling. You should then active you hazard warning lights so that your vehicle becomes more visible to others.
2. It isn’t just your vehicle that needs to be seen. Make sure that you wear reflective jacket if possible (available in most emergency breakdown kits). It is then vital that you get all vehicle occupants to exit through the left door so that they do not exit into the path of passing traffic.
3. Contact your breakdown cover provider, informing them of your location. If you don’t have a mobile phone with you then proceed with caution to the nearest roadside emergency telephone which will patch you through to the highways agency.
4. Wait for assistance to reach you. It is vital that you DO NOT attempt repairs yourself!
5. If your vehicle is made operational once again at the side of the road by your breakdown cover provider, then make sure that find a safe gap in which to rejoin and always keep an eye out for any other vehicles which may also be stationary on the hard shoulder.

What if I can not get onto the hard shoulder?

If you are unable to get to the hard shoulder, please bear in mind that you are in a very dangerous position and proceed with caution. Immediately switch on your hazard warning lights but do not attempt to place any warning instruments such as a warning triangle or cones on the road.

Only leave your vehicle if you believe that an opportunity to safely get clear of the carriageway/motorway presents itself. If you happen to have a disability preventing this, then remain in your vehicle with your hazard lights on. Either way, you should then phone emergency services and follow this up by contacting your breakdown cover provider.

On quieter roads

You might not be in as much danger if you breakdown on quieter side roads; but breaking down anywhere is always potentially dangerous, particularly if you are obstructing other vehicles.

If this is the case, then follow these alternative five steps:

1. Active your hazard warning lights and put on a reflective jacket (if possible). Put your sidelights on in dark, foggy or wet conditions so that other road users have a better chance of seeing your vehicle.
2. Get passengers safely away from the vehicle when the road is clear if you feel that there is a possibility of your car being hit by other road users.
3. Put up a warning triangle about 50 yards behind your vehicle on the same side of the road so that other motorists have time to prepare.
4. Phone us on 07900 992205 and wait for assistance.
5. If your vehicle is made operational again at the side of the road; make sure that you carefully retrieve your warning triangle and ensure a safe gap in the traffic before moving off.

Source: MoneySavingSupermarket

Tesla Model 3
The Tesla Model 3 outsold every other model – electric, hybrid or combustion – on the market during June. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
Source: Jasper Jolly/The Guardian

The UK car industry continued its weak recovery from the pandemic in June with sales well below pre-Covid-19 levels, as the continuing popularity of electric vehicles provided a rare bright spot. Sales of battery-powered electric cars more than doubled year-on-year to 19,800 for June, accounting for 10.7% of sales.

Tesla’s battery electric Model 3, already the most popular battery car on British roads, outsold every other model – electric, hybrid or combustion – on the market during June amid an import push by the US electric car manufacturer.

People in the UK bought 186,000 new cars in June up 28% on the same month last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. However, sales were still down 16% compared with the average for the 10 years before the pandemic.Sales of 909,000 cars for the first half of the year fell just short of previous industry forecasts, with the SMMT pointing to continued difficulties caused by supply chain shortages. In particular, carmakers have found themselves at the back of the queue when it comes to securing computer chips that are vital to controlling modern vehicles.

Overall sales are still dominated by cars with internal combustion engines, including models using petrol, diesel, or hybrids which also have a battery. However, sales are shifting rapidly towards battery models after the UK government said it will ban all combustion engine sales by 2035.

There were 74,000 pure battery car sales in the first half of the year – 8% of all car sales. That compared with 156,000 sales of diesels or mild-hybrids, which contain only a small battery.

The industry is hoping that consumer confidence will increase as England and the other UK nations remove the last pandemic restrictions.

Mike Hawes, the SMMT chief executive, said: “With the final phases of the UK’s vaccine rollout well under way and confidence increasing, the automotive sector is now battling against a ‘long Covid’ of vehicle supply challenges.

“The semiconductor shortages arising from Covid-constrained output globally are affecting vehicle production, disrupting supply on certain models and restricting the automotive recovery.”