A breakdown is stressful, but the first few minutes matter most. Here is the calm, safe order of steps — getting to safety, staying visible, deciding whether to stay inside, and getting help on the way.
When a vehicle breaks down, the instinct is to focus on the car. The right order is the opposite: protect yourself first, make yourself visible, then get help on the way. The car can wait. The minutes right after a breakdown — especially near fast traffic — are the ones where good decisions matter most.
The steps below work whether you are on a highway shoulder or in a parking lot. The priorities never change: get clear of moving traffic, become impossible to miss, decide whether it is safer inside or outside the vehicle, and call for assistance.
For the detailed walkthrough of that last step, see how to request roadside assistance.
Once help is on the way, the goal is simply to stay safe until it arrives:
A roadside plan does not prevent a breakdown — but it turns the worst part, being stuck and unsure what to do, into a short wait for help you have already called.
Get the vehicle out of moving traffic if you safely can — steer to the right shoulder or into a parking area as it slows — and turn on your hazard lights immediately so other drivers can see you.
On a busy highway, it is usually safest to stay inside with your seatbelt on and doors locked, because standing near fast-moving traffic is dangerous. If you are in a safer location, such as a parking lot or quiet street, you can exit on the side away from traffic.
Turn on your hazard lights and leave them on. If you have them and can place them safely, set reflective warning triangles or flares behind the vehicle. At night, an interior light on also helps you be seen.
Note your exact location, then request roadside assistance through the MyRMO app, website, or 24/7 hotline. A service provider is dispatched for a tow, jump-start, tire change, lockout, or fuel, and you receive live ETA updates.
Keep building your picture of roadside coverage:
