SHOULD you find yourself in a breakdown situation this winter, Green Flag Motoring Assistance offers some timely advice.

• Pull off the road as soon as you think there may be a problem with your car.

• Try to position your vehicle as far over to the left-hand-side of the road or hard shoulder as possible. Anyone getting out of the vehicle should exit by the left-hand-side passenger door.

• Put your hazard warning lights on. In the dark, or in poor visibility conditions, leave your side-lights on.

• If you break down in darkness or sub-zero temperatures, don’t abandon the car and go trudging off. Motorists should stay with their vehicles and call for assistance, thereby ensuring their personal safety and protection and that of their passengers.

• In sub-zero temperatures, keep the engine running if possible, to enable the heater to function.

• While waiting for assistance, it is advisable to keep the doors locked and when help arrives ask for identification.

Should you break down or detect a problem with your vehicle on the motorway, Green Flag offers these guidelines:

• If possible, leave the motorway at the next exit.

• If you cannot leave the motorway, pull onto the hard shoulder and stop as near to an emergency telephone as possible. SOS telephones are situated every half-mile. Marker posts, positioned every 100 metres, indicate the direction of the nearest telephone.

• Get people out of the car by the left-hand door and onto the banking if possible. If moving to the banking is not practical, remain in the car, moving to the passenger side if you can. Leave any animals inside the vehicle.

• If possible, call your recovery service, using a roadside emergency SOS telephone rather than a mobile phone. This will enable them to pinpoint your exact location much more quickly and will also alert the police to your position.