If you're in immediate danger
If you're stuck in a live lane and can't get to safety, or you've been in a collision with injuries, call 999 immediately. This guide is general safety information, not a substitute for official guidance — always follow the current advice on nationalhighways.co.uk and the Highway Code.
1. Get out of live traffic if you possibly can
Indicate, and if you're able to, move left onto the hard shoulder, into a marked Emergency Refuge Area (signed with a blue sign and an orange SOS telephone symbol), or off at the next exit or services — including into Gatwick Airport's approach roads if that's the safest option near Junctions 8–9. Put your hazard lights on as soon as you realise there's a problem, and slow down gradually rather than braking hard.
2. Some sections of the M23 use variable speed limits
Sections of the M23, especially around Gatwick Airport, use smart motorway technology with variable speed limits and overhead gantries. A red X shown above a lane means that lane is closed; never drive in a lane marked with a red X. If you can't reach a refuge area, an exit, or services before you need to stop, your priority is getting yourself and any passengers out of the vehicle and behind a safety barrier if it's safe to do so — then call 999, not a recovery line, since National Highways needs to close the lane around you.
3. If you've reached the hard shoulder or a refuge area
- Put your hazard lights on, and side/parking lights too if visibility is poor.
- Exit the vehicle from the left-hand (passenger) side, away from live traffic, if you can do so safely.
- Get behind the safety barrier if there is one — don't stand between your vehicle and moving traffic.
- Keep pets and passengers away from the carriageway.
- Use the roadside SOS phone if there's one nearby, or call from a mobile — either way, you'll be put through to National Highways, who can help coordinate a safe recovery.
4. Call for recovery once you're safe
With everyone safely off the carriageway, call us on 07716 551 934 (or WhatsApp) and tell us your location as precisely as you can — the nearest marker post, junction, or refuge area number helps us dispatch accurately. We cover Junctions 7–11 as standard, including the Gatwick Airport spur, and further along the M23/A23 on request.
5. If you've been in a collision
- Call 999 if anyone is injured, or if vehicles are blocking a live lane.
- Switch on hazard lights and, if safe, move to the hard shoulder or a refuge area.
- Don't move an injured person unless they're in immediate danger where they are.
- Exchange details with the other driver(s) once everyone is safe — not while still in a live lane.
- Call us for recovery once the scene has been made safe and police (if attending) have released the vehicle.
Our M23 coverage
The stretch around Gatwick Airport (Junctions 8–9) is prone to sudden congestion around flight delays and drop-off traffic, and the Pease Pottage to Handcross stretch has a long history of roadworks — if you break down in a live lane, your safety comes before your vehicle. This is one of our longer-distance dispatches from Selsey, so mention roughly where you are between Junctions 7 and 11 when you call so we can give the most accurate ETA. Read our M23 breakdown safety guide before you call if you can.