What to Do When Your Car Breaks Down on the Highway

Breaking down on a busy highway is stressful, but knowing what to do can keep you safe until a tow truck arrives. Here's a step-by-step guide for BC drivers.

Step 1: Move Your Vehicle to Safety

As soon as you notice your car struggling, activate your hazard lights immediately. Steer gently toward the right shoulder or the nearest emergency bay. If you can't move under your own power, stay in your lane with hazards on until you come to a stop, then do not attempt to push the vehicle on a live lane.

Step 2: Stay Inside or Get Clear

On a highway, the safest option depends on traffic conditions. If the shoulder is wide and clear, exit via the passenger-side door and stand well behind the guard rail. If traffic is heavy or the shoulder is narrow, stay buckled in your vehicle with hazards on — inside is often safer than standing beside a highway.

Step 3: Set Up Warning Signals

If you carry emergency triangles or flares, place them 30–60 metres behind your vehicle to warn approaching drivers. Keep your hazard lights running until help arrives.

Step 4: Call for Help

In BC, dial **#77** on your cell to reach RCMP and highway patrol, or call us directly at **(778) 838-0014** for immediate 24/7 towing and roadside assistance. Share your exact location, the highway number, and the nearest kilometre marker if visible.

Step 5: Wait Safely

While waiting for a tow truck, stay alert and visible. If night-time, hold a flashlight or use your phone's torch. Avoid attempting repairs on a live highway shoulder.

Why Highways Are So Dangerous After a Breakdown

Most drivers underestimate how quickly a stationary car becomes a hazard on a route like Highway 1, the Coquihalla, or Highway 99. Traffic approaching at 100 km/h or more covers the length of a football field in just a few seconds, leaving a tired or distracted driver almost no time to react to a vehicle stopped on the shoulder. That is exactly why provincial guidance urges you to get as far right as possible and, where one exists, to use a designated pull-out or emergency bay rather than stopping in a live lane.

Common Causes of Highway Breakdowns in BC

Knowing what tends to go wrong helps you respond calmly. Overheating is common on long summer climbs like the Coquihalla, where a struggling cooling system finally gives up under load. Flat tires and blowouts often follow potholes or road debris on busy commuter corridors. Dead batteries and alternator faults can strike with little warning, and running low on fuel between distant Interior stations happens more often than drivers like to admit. None of these is worth risking your safety to diagnose beside fast-moving traffic.

Protecting Yourself While You Wait

If you must remain near the vehicle, position yourself well away from the traffic side — ideally up an embankment or behind a barrier. Keep children and pets with you rather than letting them wander, and never stand directly behind the car where you are most exposed. Note nearby landmarks, exit numbers, or kilometre markers so you can describe your location precisely when you call for help. That one detail often shaves several minutes off the response time and gets a tow truck to you faster.

TowingNo.1 responds to highway breakdowns across the Lower Mainland, Delta, Langley, Surrey, Burnaby, and White Rock. Average response time: under 15 minutes.