Motorway breakdown continuing journey ( OT )

That then is their choice. To walk miles to the nearest phone in an emergency.

If the problem's that bad, all sorts of other modifications can enable most people to drive. About the only disabilities that can't be overcome to allow safe driving are eyesight problems and mental incapacity.

I'm not backwards with technology - quite the opposite. But, since we moved to somewhere an hour and a bit from the nearest motorway and with absolutely no mobile signal at the house, and precious little in the nearest town, you'll forgive me for not always remembering to take the thing with me - or, even, to have charge and/or credit on it.

But, anyway, back to your inability to notice these bright orange phones every km-1.5km apart on every single motorway in the country...

Strictly, pointing to the nearest safe to reach telephone. If, for example, you stop just after an exit slip road, the marker will point towards the phone in the middle of the junction, even if there is a closer one that you would need to cross the slip road to reach.

Colin Bignell

Yes. She prefers the old dial-'phone handset, as it's chunkier. It's the keeping the fingers in one fairly closed position that hurts her.

See my reply as to what it is that actually hurts her. It is no problem to move one's hands around on the steering wheel to change her fingers' positions.

Re: texting and 'phoning while driving: I see them often being done by lorry drivers, and if their vehicles hit something else, that's bad. Here, we are near to a primary school, and, amazingly, many mums both speed and 'phone after dropping or collecting their kids. Fine examples to the young 'uns.

Of course. And to use a mobile phone too. Like a hands free kit. Large phones with big buttons are available too.

The point I was making is if someone can't use a suitable phone, they're unlikely to be able to drive.

If only. I seem to see lots of nutcases driving around. ;-)

I do hate getting SMS from companies, banks, NHS, service providers ect at any slightest opportunity. I know you can opt out (if you can find it). So I did opt out SMS from the service provider, the reply was "We will opdate our database within 28 days..."! I still get their SMS.

When I 'lost' my keys near the Bull's Head pub in Foolow, Derbyshire the AA couldn't find where I was on their system. ;-)

I got a lift home, my daughter drove me 25 miles out there with my spare key, and I decided to treat her to dinner at the pub[1]

Whilst we were eating, the landlady, who had heard our story, came over and told me that a villager had found the keys. They were returned to me a few minutes later!

Lucky or what? The guy wouldn't even accept a drink.

I forgot , They only needed to Google it!

I've a £15 low tech mobile phone left in the glove box, charging when the ignition is on. It has a GiffGaff PAYG SIM with credit that doesn't expire if you don't use it. I have to make one call on the phone about once very 3 months to keep the number but GiffGaff do email me to give me a timely reminder.

Binge drinking by yobs in the street is the tip of the problem. Your "average" alcoholic is more likely to be someone on the school run after drinking the bottle of wine throughout the day.

My dad once booked a cross channel ferry trip and spelt out his registration phonetically Sierra Delta X-Ray, the tickets duly arrived with the reg S (Sierra) D (Delta) E (Eks-ray).

SteveW

This question is about the situation if someone is on a motorway taking someone to catch a flight that they really *musn't* miss, and then their car breaks down.

Even having breakdown cover which transports one on to one's intended destination, if it takes the time they sometimes take to turn up; then the flight would likely be missed anyway. Also you would end up with the inconvenience of your non-working car in or near an airport.

Since you would normally have no way of knowing where or who to contact for a mini-cab from the motorway (assuming you had no internet connection on your phone), how would one go about contacting a mini-cab quickly from the side of the motorway; to transport the passenger onwards to the airport ?

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Thanks to all. My answer came when Colin Bignell said the person who answers the emergency phone on the motorway is usually willing to request a mini cab to go to your location.

However it raised another question that occurred to me. What if you were on a fairly desolute spot on a road such as the 'North Circular'. Since on certain stretches there are no shops or such like and there are no 'motorway emergency phones'. How then best to get a mini cab as quickly as possible ? If you didn't know the area, even if you had a mobile; who could you phone?

AA. They are usually very helpful in such situations.

Chris

Why should I spend time and energy noticing something that I don't need?

Need to know...

everyone should be familiar with the 'highway code'

...

Perhaps because one day you might break down in a mobile phone dead spot?

Colin Bignell

Directory enquries would probably be a good start.