Motorway rules
On a smart motorway, what is an emergency area, marked with a blue sign and orange surface, used for?
- A place to park and rest on a long journey
- Stopping in an emergency, such as a breakdown, and using the SOS phoneCorrect
- Overtaking slow vehicles
- Letting passengers get out to stretch
Why?
Emergency areas replace the hard shoulder on many smart motorways. Rule 270 of The Highway Code says these areas, marked with blue signs and an orange surface, are for stopping in an emergency; use the free SOS telephone there to contact the control centre for help.
Highway Code rule 270