A breakdown is stressful, especially if you are on the M8 in the rain or blocking a street in the Southside. This guide goes through what to do, in order. Safety first, then recovery, then the repair. The safety rules come from the Highway Code (opens in a new tab), so check there if you want the full wording.

One thing to be clear about from the start: Clyde Select is not a recovery company. We cannot send a truck. What we can do is help you work out your options once you are safe, and help with the repair, parts or what to do with the car afterwards.

If anyone is in danger, call 999 first

If you have stopped in a live lane, cannot get out of the car safely, or someone is hurt, call 999 and ask for the police. The Highway Code says that if you cannot get to the left lane or a place of relative safety, and cannot get out safely, you should stay in the car with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999 straight away. If your car has an SOS button, you can press that instead.

Do not try to fix the car at the side of a motorway or other fast road. Do not put a warning triangle on a motorway.

On a motorway or fast road

The Highway Code advice is simple to remember: go left, get safe, get help.

  • Go left. If the car develops a problem, try to leave at the next exit or pull into a service area. If you cannot, move to the left lane and stop on the hard shoulder or in an emergency area, as far left as you can, with your hazard lights on.
  • Get safe. If it is safe, get out by the door furthest from the traffic, and get your passengers out the same way. Wait behind the safety barrier if there is one, well away from the car and the traffic. Do not go back to the car, even if it is cold or raining.
  • Get help. Call your breakdown cover. If you are not near an emergency phone, or cannot get out, call 999.

To tell people where you are, use a map app on your phone, or read the numbers and letters on the marker posts or driver location signs at the side of the road.

On a local street

On a normal Glasgow street the risk is lower, but traffic still matters. Get the car off the road if you can. Put your hazard lights on if it is causing an obstruction. The Highway Code says you can place a warning triangle at least 45 metres behind the car on ordinary roads, but only if it is safe to do so. Do not stand between the car and oncoming traffic. If it is dark, keep the sidelights on if you can.

Getting recovery

If you have breakdown cover, call them first. It is worth checking whether you have cover you have forgotten about. Some people get it through their car insurance, their bank account, or the car's manufacturer.

If you have no cover, you still have options. Some breakdown providers will help non-members, usually at a higher price, so ask when you call. Local recovery firms and mobile mechanics can also help, but get the price agreed before anyone starts. Ask where the car will be taken and whether storage is charged by the day.

If the car is safe where it is, for example parked outside your house, you do not have to decide on the spot. A non-starting car on your drive is a different problem from a car stuck on the M77.

Once you are safe: the repair

When the car is somewhere safe, the next question is what is wrong and what it will cost. A few things help:

  • Write down what happened just before it stopped. Noises, smells, warning lights, smoke, or a loss of power all help a mechanic.
  • Take a photo of any warning lights on the dashboard.
  • Check the free GOV.UK MOT history (opens in a new tab). Past advisories sometimes point to the cause.
  • Get more than one price if the job is big.

If the repair looks expensive, read our guide on whether your car is worth fixing. Sometimes it is. Sometimes selling or scrapping it makes more sense.

Where we can help

Once you are safe, you can tell us the problem. A real person reads it. We can help you think through the options, look for the part, point you towards suitable local garages, or, if fixing it does not add up, you can tell us about the car in case we can make an offer. It is free to ask and there is no obligation.

We are not a recovery service, an insurer or a garage, and we will not pretend to be. In an emergency, always call 999 or your breakdown cover first.