The M6 through Birmingham is one of the busiest stretches of road in the country. Add Spaghetti Junction, smart motorway sections and the M5 and M42 links, and a breakdown here can feel overwhelming. The good news is that the right steps are simple. Do them in this order.

1. Get off the motorway if you can

If a warning light comes on or the car starts to feel wrong, do not wait for it to stop. Leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can reach it. A slip road, a service station or a side road is a far safer place to wait than any motorway edge.

2. If you must stop, get as far left as possible

Use an emergency area if one is close. They are marked with blue signs and an orange SOS telephone symbol.
Otherwise use the hard shoulder where there is one. Stop as far left as you can and turn your wheels to the left.
Switch on your hazard lights straight away. At night or in poor visibility, keep your sidelights on too.

3. Get out on the side away from traffic, then behind the barrier

If it is safe, everyone should leave the vehicle by the left-hand doors and get behind the safety barrier, well away from the car and the traffic. Take your phone and a coat. Leave animals in the vehicle, or keep them under proper control on the verge.

Never place a warning triangle on a motorway and never try a repair on the hard shoulder. Fast traffic passes within a few feet.

4. If you are stuck in a live lane, stay in the car and call 999

If you cannot get to the left, or cannot get out safely, stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt on and hazard lights flashing. Call 999 and ask for the police. A live-lane stop is an emergency, and the police or traffic officers can close the lane and protect you. Call recovery after that, not before.

5. Work out exactly where you are

The single biggest cause of delay on a motorway job is an unclear location. Around Spaghetti Junction, two points can look close on a map but be miles apart by road. Before you call recovery, find:

The motorway and direction: for example "M6 northbound" or "M6 towards Preston".
The last junction you passed and the next sign you can see.
A driver location sign or marker post. The small blue signs and posts along the verge carry a code that pinpoints your position.
A phone map pin, if you can share it safely.

6. Call recovery with the details ready

When you call us on 07846 899 694, we will ask a short set of questions: where you are, whether everyone is safe, what the vehicle is, and what happened. That tells us which truck to send. A car that will not roll, an automatic, an electric car or a large van each needs the right equipment, and getting that right first time saves a second trip.

We confirm the price and your arrival window before the truck sets off. You can read more about how we handle these jobs on our motorway emergency recovery page.

7. While you wait

Stay behind the barrier and keep your phone switched on and audible.
If traffic officers or the police arrive, follow their instructions.
Do not walk along the hard shoulder to look for a better spot.
If you are in an emergency area, use the SOS telephone before you rejoin. The operator may need to close a lane first.

After a collision

If there has been an impact, an injury, debris or fluid on the road, call 999 first. Once the scene is safe, our accident recovery team can collect the vehicle and take it home, to a garage or to storage.

This is a short summary, not a replacement for official guidance. Read the Highway Code rules on breakdowns and incidents on GOV.UK.

Broken down on the M6 near Birmingham? What to do, step by step