How to safely communicate your breakdown location

Give a reference a driver can find

A street name is often ambiguous; a direction of travel plus a fixed marker never is. Lead with the road, then the way you were heading, then the nearest permanent feature you can see.

The markers worth reading out

1. 1.Kilometre or mile posts on the verge — the single most precise reference on a highway.
2. 2.The last exit number you passed and the next one ahead.
3. 3.Bridge plates, junction numbers and service-area names.

“Posting from the app attaches your GPS fix automatically. The description you add is what confirms which side of the carriageway you are on.”

Say which side you are on

Divided highways carry two sets of the same markers. Naming the direction — northbound, or towards a named town — saves an operator a long detour to the next turnaround.