Skip to content

Safety & regulations

Motorway breakdown procedure

On a motorway or express road, the initial recovery is not done as in town. Here is the exact order: make safe, alert (SOS phone or 112), route via sos-auto-moto.fr dispatch if needed, then contact us for repatriation.

Car stopped on a mountain motorway hard shoulder with hazard lights — SOS procedure, SkyRoute Auto

Golden rule

On a motorway and an express road, the initial recovery of the vehicle is carried out by the approved service. SkyRoute Auto then handles repatriation or transport (garage, home, France ↔ Switzerland).

The 4 steps

  1. 01

    Make the scene safe

    Hazard lights, high-visibility vest, passengers off the carriageway (behind the barrier if possible). Do not stay behind the vehicle.

  2. 02

    Call the emergency / approved recovery service

    On a motorway or express road, the initial recovery goes through the official circuit: orange SOS phone or the 112 emergency number.

  3. 03

    Or check SOS Auto Moto dispatch

    To route the call / collection via the national network, use sos-auto-moto.fr and its dispatch simulator.

  4. 04

    Then SkyRoute Auto for the rest

    Once the vehicle is off the carriageway (service area, car park, garage…), we handle repatriation or transport to home, garage or Switzerland.

How to raise the alarm on the motorway

Two official priority means to trigger a call-out on the carriageway:

SOS phone

Emergency call phones (often orange) line the motorway. They automatically locate you with the control centre. Walk on the safe side (hard shoulder / behind the barrier) to the nearest phone if you cannot call otherwise.

Give: motorway, direction of travel, phone / kilometre-point number, number of occupants, type of vehicle.

112

112 is the European emergency number. From a mobile you can raise the alarm even with partial coverage depending on the networks. Give the same information (road, direction, kilometre point / phone, situation).

Call 112

sos-auto-moto.fr dispatch

In addition to the SOS phone and 112, you can consult the SoS Auto Moto network to route a collection / simulation via their online dispatch.

Website & dispatch simulator

Independent external link, not SkyRoute Auto. In a life-threatening emergency or on the hard shoulder, always prefer the SOS phone or 112 before browsing a website.

After recovery: SkyRoute Auto

When the vehicle is off the carriageway (motorway service area, car park, temporary depot), SkyRoute Auto can arrange:

  • Repatriation to a garage or home (74 / the Genevois)
  • France ↔ Switzerland transport (Geneva, Nyon, Vaud…)
  • Towing from a service area / car park after the initial collection

Town vs motorway

In town / car park (Annemasse, Gaillard…)
You can call us directly for local breakdown recovery / towing.
On a motorway / express road
SOS phone or 112 (and/or sos-auto-moto.fr dispatch) first → SkyRoute Auto afterwards for the rest of the journey.

Services · Breakdowns & access

Frequently asked questions

Why can I not call SkyRoute Auto directly on the motorway?
On motorways and express roads, the initial recovery is in principle carried out by the network’s approved recovery service. SkyRoute Auto then handles repatriation or transport of the vehicle.
SOS phone or 112: which should I choose?
The orange SOS phone along the motorway connects directly to the network emergency control centre. 112 also works from a mobile (European emergency number). Give the motorway, direction, kilometre point or phone number.
What is sos-auto-moto.fr / the dispatch for?
The sos-auto-moto.fr website and its dispatch help route an assistance / recovery request via a national circuit (simulation, controller contact). Useful to start or understand the collection, in addition to SOS phones and 112.
When should I call SkyRoute Auto after a motorway breakdown?
As soon as the vehicle is off the express road (service area, park-and-ride, temporary depot…) and you need transport or repatriation to a garage, home, Annemasse or Switzerland.

Vehicle already recovered?

Call us for repatriation or transport to a garage, home or Switzerland.

Call Quick quote
WhatsApp (opens in new tab)