1. Get to the left
If the car still moves, get onto the hard shoulder, into a lay-by or off at the next junction. The newer Huntingdon southern bypass has hard shoulders; older stretches have fewer safe places.
2. Behind the barrier
Hazards on, everyone out on the left and up behind the barrier. Don’t stand between the car and the traffic, and don’t try to fix it on the roadside.
3. Live lane? Call 999
If the car stops in a running lane and you can’t get out safely, keep seat belts on, hazards on, and call 999.
4. Tell us where you are
- Eastbound or westbound.
- The last junction you passed: Thrapston, Brampton, Huntingdon, Swavesey, Girton.
- Any marker post number, or a WhatsApp pin.
See the A14 road guide, Huntingdon and St Ives.
After you’ve called us
Stay behind the barrier until the truck arrives. The driver will call you when they are close and may ask you to switch on your hazard lights so they can spot the car. If the police or National Highways traffic officers arrive first, follow their instructions; they may move the car to a safer place before we get there. Once the car is loaded, we take it home, to your garage, or to a dealer anywhere in the UK.
Heading home from the east coast?
Lots of A14 breakdowns are drivers heading to or from Felixstowe, Cambridge or the Midlands. If you’re a long way from home, we can take the car and you all the way back. See car transport.
Children and pets
Get children out first, on the side away from the traffic, and keep them behind the barrier with an adult. Leave pets in the car unless it’s an emergency: a dog loose on the A14 is a danger to everyone.