Highways Agency

What happens if I break down?

 If you break down you should:

• Stop in an emergency refuge area
• Use the emergency roadside telephone to contact the control centre

The roadside telephone automatically pin points your location for the control centre.

Depending on your situation the control centre operator can send a Highways Agency Traffic Officer or recovery vehicle, or advise your recovery service.

Emergency refuge areas are designed to be used in all cases of emergency or break down, not only when the hard shoulder is being used as a running lane. They are located adjacent to the hard shoulder and there is one approximately every 500 metres along the length of Active Traffic Management on the M42.

Features include:

• New emergency roadside telephones
• Additional distance from the main carriageway
• Wider than the hard shoulder

By the time hard shoulder running is introduced, emergency refuge areas will also feature:

• Sensors to alert the control centre that a vehicle has entered the emergency refuge area
• CCTV enabling the control centre to monitor the vehicle and send assistance as necessary

Will I be able to reach an emergency refuge area?

Due to the close proximity of the emergency refuge areas it is highly likely that you would be able to reach an emergency refuge area. However, it is possible that in some cases of break down you may not be able to guide your vehicle into an emergency refuge area.

If this happens under normal motorway conditions or when Active Traffic Management without hard shoulder running is in operation, you should stop on the hard shoulder and follow the relevant advice given in The Highway Code.

If Active Traffic Management with hard shoulder running is in operation or you are unable to guide your vehicle to the hard shoulder you should follow the relevant advice given in The Highway Code. The control centre operator can control the signals to guide vehicles around you and provide access for your recovery service.

Emergency refuge areas should not be used for anything other than an emergency or break down. They are not to be used as lay-by and are monitored by CCTV linked directly to the control centre.

Emergency roadside telephones

If you need help, you should always contact the control centre using an emergency roadside telephone located in each emergency refuge area. They pin point your location for the control centre operator and features include:

• High visibility design
• Greatly improved audio performance
• Text-messaging facility for the hard of hearing
• Text-messaging facility for non-English speakers capable of featuring 8 different languages
• Back-lit LCD display for user prompts, volume control and text facility
• Easily accessible for wheelchair users
• Behind safety fencing

Leaving an emergency refuge area

For your safety, you should always contact the control centre using the emergency roadside telephone to gain advice on how to leave the emergency refuge area safely. This is because the way you leave an emergency refuge area depends on the mode that Active Traffic Management is running, and the category of vehicle you are driving.

In some cases, the control centre operator will be able to control traffic to enable you to leave in the safest way.

• No congestion or incidents
• No speed limits shown on signals, national speed limits apply
• You can drive out of the emergency refuge area onto the hard shoulder
• Use the hard shoulder to build-up speed to join the main carriageway
• Check overhead signals for current speed limit and availability of lanes

• Incident or congestion ahead
• Signals are set and must be obeyed
• Red cross over hard shoulder means it is for emergency or break down use only
• Use the hard shoulder to build-up speed to join the main carriageway
• Check overhead signals for current speed limit and availability of lanes

• Incident or congestion ahead
• Signals are set and must be obeyed
• Use an emergency roadside telephone to contact the control centre for advice on leaving the emergency refuge area
• DO NOT use the hard shoulder to build-up speed
• Contact the control centre - the operator can control traffic to enable you to leave safely
• Check overhead signals for current speed limit and availability of lanes

Working in partnership with the recovery industry

In 2004 a demonstration of emergency refuge areas was held for operators from a number of recovery organisations. This enabled the recovery operators to view the safe roadside repair or recovery of a variety of different vehicles using emergency refuge areas. The day allowed recovery operators to understand how they may use the refuge areas and also to develop their own procedures, ensuring that they can provide the safest service when attending to their members.