Breakdown Safety on I-45, I-10, and the 610 Loop
Where your vehicle stops matters more than what failed. Here is how to handle a Houston freeway breakdown, from the first seconds to the wait for help.
A breakdown on a Houston freeway is not primarily a mechanical problem. It is a position problem. Where your vehicle stops, and where the people in it stand, matters far more than what failed under the hood.
Use the seconds you have
The moment something goes wrong — a loss of power, a blowout, a warning light with a change in how the car drives — start moving right. Do not wait to diagnose it.
- Signal and change lanes toward the right immediately.
- Use your momentum. Steering and brakes still work when an engine quits, though both require more effort. Coast toward an exit ramp, a feeder road, or the widest right shoulder available.
- Hazards on before you stop, not after.
- Get past the white line. Past the rumble strip if there is one, with the wheels as far from the travel lane as the shoulder allows.
- Point the wheels away from traffic and leave the parking brake set.
Stay in the vehicle when traffic is close
This is the part drivers get wrong most often. Standing on a freeway shoulder puts you feet away from vehicles at highway speed, with no protection at all. Your vehicle's structure, seatbelt, and visibility are all better than that.
Stay buckled inside if:
- You are on a narrow shoulder
- You are on a left shoulder — usually the worst place on a Houston freeway
- It is dark, raining, or foggy
- You are in a construction zone with shifted lanes
- You are on or near a bridge, ramp, or blind curve
Exit only when there is a real barrier or a wide, clear area to get behind, and then exit on the passenger side, away from traffic.
Do not stand between your car and traffic
If you do get out, never stand at the rear bumper facing oncoming vehicles, and never change a tire on the traffic side of the car. If the flat is on the traffic side and you are on a shoulder, that is a call, not a job.
Make yourself visible
- Hazard lights on
- Dome light on at night so movement in the cabin is visible
- Reflective triangles or flares well behind the vehicle, not at the bumper, and only if you can place them without stepping into a lane
- A phone flashlight is better than nothing
When to call 911 instead of roadside
Call 911, not a service line, when:
- You cannot clear a travel lane
- Anyone is injured
- There is smoke, fuel odor, or fire
- You are stopped somewhere with no shoulder at all
- You feel unsafe where you are, for any reason
Getting people out of danger comes before getting the vehicle fixed. Houston-area freeways also have incident-response patrols that assist stopped vehicles on some corridors; a 911 dispatcher can route the right help.
What to tell whoever you call
- Freeway name and direction of travel — the difference between northbound and southbound is the difference between finding you and not
- Nearest exit, cross street, or mile marker
- Which shoulder you are on
- Whether you are blocking a lane
- Vehicle description and color
- What actually failed
Then wait properly
Keep your seatbelt on, doors locked, and phone charged. Watch your mirrors. If a stranger approaches and you are uneasy, stay inside with the window mostly up and say help is on the way. Related reading: the Texas Move Over, Slow Down law and what to keep in a roadside emergency kit.
Getting help
When you are somewhere safe and ready for a technician, request service or see what our emergency roadside assistance covers. We serve Houston, Katy, Pearland, and the wider metro.