If you get a flat tyre at night, the wheel can wait, because your safety and your passengers’ safety come first. Only once you’re somewhere safer in Essex or London should you deal with the tyre itself. Get off the road.
Get yourself and the vehicle safe first
Slow down gently, signal, and move off the road to the safest spot you can reach. Don’t brake hard or swerve. A flat tyre changes how the car steers, and darkness makes it harder for other drivers to judge your speed, especially on an unlit stretch or a fast A road.
Look for a lay by, a side road, a well lit car park or a wide verge, because moving a short distance slowly is usually better than stopping on a bend or the brow of a hill. Once you’ve stopped, switch on your hazard warning lights and keep your sidelights on too.
Get passengers out on the side away from traffic if that’s safe, and move them well back from the carriageway. Put on a reflective jacket if you have one. Stay off your phone.
What the Highway Code says at the roadside
The Highway Code asks you to get to a place of relative safety, warn other road users, and keep people well away from moving traffic. The breakdowns and incidents rules set this out.
On ordinary roads, the main points are these:
- Use hazard warning lights so other drivers can see you.
- Wear fluorescent or light coloured clothing in daylight, and reflective clothing at night or in poor visibility.
- Keep your sidelights on when it’s dark.
- Never stand between your vehicle and oncoming traffic.
- On roads other than motorways, a warning triangle can go at least 45 metres behind the vehicle, if it’s safe to place it.
Motorways need extra care. If you can, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area, and if you can’t, move left into an emergency area or onto the hard shoulder. Get out using the doors furthest from traffic, but only if it’s safe, and wait behind a barrier where there is one.
If you can’t get out safely, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt and hazard lights on, and call 999. Never put a warning triangle on a motorway.
| Where you’ve stopped | What to do first | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Motorway emergency area or hard shoulder | Hazards on, exit away from traffic, wait behind a barrier | Call for help from a safe spot |
| Motorway live lane, no safe exit | Stay in the car, seat belt on, hazards on | Call 999 |
| A road or quiet street | Hazards and sidelights on, move people off the road | Call us when everyone is clear |
| Driveway or home car park | Leave the car where it is | Call or use the quote form when you are ready |
When you can call Emergency Tyres
Once you’re safe and off the carriageway, call us on 07466 022007 or send a WhatsApp message. We’ll check availability when you get in touch and give you a rough arrival time. Emergency Tyres takes calls 24 hours, 7 days a week.
We come to you at the roadside, at a home or driveway, or at work. Tell us where you are, because a road name, a junction, a nearby landmark or a WhatsApp pin all help us check availability. We cover Essex and London as a broad area. That includes towns like Chelmsford, Colchester and Basildon. Our emergency tyre repair Essex page covers urgent roadside work.
When you call, we’ll talk you through whether a puncture can be safely repaired or the tyre has to be replaced, since some can’t be fixed, especially after being driven on while flat. If it needs replacing, see our emergency tyre replacement Essex page. If you’re near Epping, there’s also emergency tyre replacement Epping.
If you have already found the flat at home
The car can usually stay put. Don’t drive on it. Have a look at mobile tyre repair Essex and send us a message, or use the free quote form. We can come to your home or driveway. The law expects tyres to be correctly inflated and free from certain cuts and defects, as set out in the Highway Code vehicle maintenance annex.
Key takeaways
Get off the road first. Put your hazards and sidelights on, wear reflective clothing at night or in poor visibility, and keep everyone well away from moving traffic.
On a motorway, go left to an emergency area or hard shoulder and wait behind a barrier if you can, or stay belted in and call 999 if you can’t get out safely. Never place a warning triangle on a motorway. Once you’re safe, call 07466 022007 or WhatsApp us with your location.
When this is not the right fit
Calling a tyre team isn’t the right first step if anyone is in danger, so if you’re stuck in a live lane, someone is hurt, or the car is causing a hazard you can’t move away from, call 999 first.
We also aren’t the right call when the problem isn’t the tyre, because warning lights, smoke, a fault after a collision or a car that won’t start need a breakdown service or the emergency services. Outside Essex and London, you’ll need someone local. Our work covers cars, SUVs, vans and light commercial vehicles only.
Common questions
Should I drive on a flat tyre to the nearest garage?
No, because driving on a flat can damage the tyre and the wheel, and it often turns a repairable puncture into a replacement. Only move far enough, slowly, to reach a safer place to stop.
What should I do if I get a flat on a motorway at night?
Move left into an emergency area or onto the hard shoulder if you can, or leave at the next exit. Put your hazards on, then get out on the side away from traffic if it’s safe and wait behind a barrier. If you can’t get out safely, stay in your seat with the belt on and call 999. Don’t use a warning triangle on a motorway, and don’t try to change the wheel there.
Can I call Emergency Tyres after dark?
Yes, Emergency Tyres takes calls 24/7. When you call, we’ll check availability and give you a rough arrival time.
What details should I have ready when I call?
Your exact location matters most, so share a road name, a junction, a nearby landmark or a WhatsApp pin, along with the vehicle type and the tyre size if you can read it from the sidewall. Say if you are on a motorway, an A road or already at home, because that changes how we advise you to wait.
Sources
- Official breakdown rules in the Highway Code, 275 to 287: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/breakdowns-and-incidents-274-to-287
- Vehicle maintenance annex in the Highway Code, on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/annex-6-vehicle-maintenance-safety-and-security