What to Do If You Get a Puncture on the Motorway

A sudden tyre failure at motorway speed is frightening, but panic is your biggest enemy. If you feel a blowout, you'll notice the car pulling strongly to one side, a loud bang, or a rapid vibration through the steering wheel. The instinct is to brake hard — resist it. Hard braking on a failed tyre can cause you to lose control.

Instead, grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands and maintain your current lane. Ease off the accelerator gradually to slow down naturally. Once you have the car under control and your speed is falling, gently indicate left and move towards the hard shoulder. Keep your movements smooth and deliberate — sudden steering inputs can destabilise the car.

Pull as far onto the hard shoulder as possible and away from the live carriageway. Ideally, try to stop near an emergency telephone marker post — these are spaced every 100 metres on UK motorways. Turn your wheels towards the verge so that if another vehicle hits you from behind, the car rolls away from traffic rather than into it.

Turn on your hazard lights immediately. If you have high-visibility jackets in the car, put them on before you exit. Always exit the car from the left-hand (passenger) side — never the driver's side — to keep yourself away from passing traffic.

Once out of the car, get behind the barrier if there is one. Stand well away from your vehicle — at least 75 metres if possible. Motorway vehicles travel fast and a passing lorry can create a powerful blast of air that can knock you over if you're standing close to the car.

Call for help from a safe location. Use the roadside emergency telephone or your mobile. On a motorway, emergency phones are connected directly to Highways England and give operators your exact location. If you use your mobile, try to note the nearest motorway junction number and which side of the carriageway you're on.

On the motorway hard shoulder, we strongly advise against attempting to change a tyre yourself. The hard shoulder is an extremely dangerous place — vehicles regularly drift onto it, and the consequences of being struck are catastrophic. Call for roadside assistance and wait in a safe location behind the barrier.

If you're on an A-road or in a safer off-motorway location, changing a tyre yourself is more feasible — but only if you're confident doing so and can do it quickly and safely. If in doubt, always call for professional help. A mobile tyre fitter can come to your location and handle the replacement safely and quickly.