What are emergency motorway phones for?

[padanarm]

Motorways and major dual carriageways have emergency phones. When you use them who are you connected to and what emergencies should they be used for?

[ZXR]

They usually (on motorways ) connect to the Highways agency, which is a government organisation. Use if youve broken down or spotted a safety issue such as something in the road (i've seen a set of ladders and a suitcase) kids throwing rocks off a bridge

http://www.highways.gov.uk/

In ye olde days 20 or more years ago there were AA phone boxes and RAC phoneboxes and members of each organisation got a key to open said boxes to make breakdown calls. These were usually on A roads only. Mobile phones seem to have killed these off nowadays.

examples

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15218213@N06/2255 228721/


http://www.freefoto.com/preview/2032-31-51?ffi d=2032-31-51

[padanarm]

Thanks ZXR, was scared you might have said 'for emergencies' LOL.

I remember there used to be lots of AA and RAC phone boxes. I remember there used to be lots of British cars. I remember there used to be lots of broken down British cars beside the AA and RAC phone boxes. Ah, happy days.

So what happens if I break down, miles from home and I don't have breakdown cover. What can I reasonably expect from these public servants?

[mightyWBA]

If you don't have cover and you break down on a motorway a local recovery vehicle will take you off the motorway to a garage at enormous expense.
I know someone who's car broke down in Cornwall and it cost �400 to get back home to the West Midlands!

[Buenchico]

I'm surprised that ZXR states that the phones go through to the Highways Agency because, whenever I've used them, the operator on the other end has always said something like 'police emergency' or 'police control room'.

There must be a lot of ladders about on our roads because, like ZXR, I've seen one. It was about 15 foot long, aluminium, and lying precisely positioned along the white line between lanes 2 and 3 of the M25, in the rush hour during torrential rain! Hundreds of car drivers must have swerved to avoid it but I was the only one to stop at the next roadside emergency phone to report it!

Using the roadside phone has a slight advantage over dialling 999 (or 112) from your mobile. You can simply report the number on the phone (and, for example, state that the ladder was about half a mile back) and the police (and Highways Agency) will then know exactly where the problem is.

Chris

[Buenchico]

PS: If you break down on the motorway (without a mobile phone), the person on the end of the roadside phone will ask if you're a member of a motoring organisation and, if so, contact them for you. The only exception is where the position of your vehicle creates a safety hazard for other drivers. In which case (or if you've got no breakdown cover anyway) the emergency operator will call out the nearest recovery vehicle to get your vehicle off the motorway as soon as possible.

Things can get rather expensive. If you run out of fuel on a motorway, you could be charged �100 just to deliver a gallon to your vehicle!

Chris

[djtdjt]

I tried to use one once and no one answered!! luckily i had breakdown cover so was not too much of a problem. If you do not have cover at the moment, have you seen the offer from Total? buy 30 litres of fuel and you get 14 days free breakdown cover.