We make better drivers and riders

Don’t let the breakdown tear you down

Blog post posted on 24/08/16 |
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Advice

The Bank Holiday weekend is approaching, and it’s predicted that 15 million cars will be out on the road. With that will inevitably come a surge of breakdowns, stressful at best and dangerous at worst. Here are some breakdown safety tips from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman.

  • Don’t attempt to repair anything if you are not confident. Wait for your breakdown professional to arrive, especially if you’re stopped in a dangerous location such as on the hard shoulder of a motorway. Get the occupants out of the car via the nearside doors and safely away from the road – over the barrier and up the embankment is best.
  • Knowing where you are will help them find you so take a mental note of junctions and place names along your route.
  • If you need to get out of the vehicle, put on reflective clothing if you have it, especially if it’s dark or wet.
  • Always carry a fully charged mobile phone but if you haven’t got one look for the nearest safe place to make a call such as a local shop or open business. Never walk across a motorway or dual carriageway to get to an emergency phone.
  • Try to pack an emergency bag with the basics – a drink, some snacks and items to keep your passengers occupied. A breakdown can take time and money to fix so a credit card will also be a useful essential item.

Richard said: “Plan for the best but prepare for the worst and your journey will be far less stressful, should anything go wrong. The last thing you want is to start your Bank Holiday with a breakdown that ruins your plans and those of your passengers. Keeping up to date with routine maintenance will help prevent you from being caught out. Stay safe and enjoy the bank holiday.”

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Notes to editors:

  1. Richard Gladman is IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards.
  2. IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/local-groups

Media contacts:

Further information from:

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 

press.office@iam.org.uk / www.iamroadsmart.com

ISDN broadcast lines available

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On Facebook: www.facebook.com/IAMRoadSmart

On Twitter: @IAMRoadSmart 

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