Road Tunnel Safety
keeping out of trouble/dealing with emergencies
The UK has an excellent record for tunnel safety. Very few users have been killed or injured in an accident in a UK tunnel: in the rest of Europe, tunnel fires have killed around 90 people in the last 10 years.
A fire in a tunnel can be lethal. The heat builds up very quickly. That is why fire detection and ventilation systems, and emergency exits, must be provided, why the emergency services must be summoned immediately, and why tunnel operators must be able to put emergency plans into operation seamlessly. If there is a fire, the occupants of the vehicles in a tunnel are not spectators to an accident, they are participants in a potential disaster.
For these reasons the AA and other motoring clubs across Europe have inspected and rated around 250 road tunnels including a number in the UK over the past decade.
Latest tunnel test results
Our Summary of the 2008 results »
Tunnel tests 2008 - full report (493kB Pdf document) »
Tunnel tests 2008 - map showing tunnel locations (1.39MB Pdf document) »
Tunnel tests 2008 - results table (187kB Pdf document) »
Driving in Europe you're more likely to find yourself using a road tunnel than you are in the UK. You may well encounter longer tunnels than you're used to in the UK too - our longest tunnel is the Queensway tunnel under the Mersey at 3.2 km while there are many across Europe that are more than 10 km long. The longest, the Laerdal tunnel in Norway, is 24.5km (more than 15 miles) long.
If you're planning a motoring holiday in Europe it's essential that you familiarise yourself with safety procedures in tunnels before you travel - there'll be no-one there to tell you what to do if an emergency situation does arise.
How to Drive Safely Through Tunnels
On reaching the tunnel »
In the tunnel »
Congestion »
Breakdown »
Accident »
If your vehicle catches fire »
If another vehicle catches fire »
Remember »
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On reaching the tunnel
- Before entering the tunnel, check your fuel level
- Switch on the radio and tune into the traffic radio station if there is one
- Switch on your headlights (low beam)
- Take off your sunglasses
- Pay attention to traffic lights and other traffic signs
In the tunnel
- Keep a good distance from the vehicle in front of you
- Observe the speed limits (both maximum and minimum)
- Make a mental note of safety equipment and facilities, such as emergency exits and emergency phones
- In tunnels with two-way traffic, always use the nearside carriageway edge for orientation, never cross the centre line
- Never make a U-turn or reverse
- Do not stop, except in an emergency
Congestion
- Switch on your hazard warning lights if traffic suddenly slows
- If traffic comes to a complete halt, keep a distance of at least five metres from the vehicle in front of you
- If traffic comes to a halt, turn off the engine
- Do not leave your vehicle
- Tune in to traffic radio if there is a system
Breakdown
- Switch on your hazard warning lights
- Park your vehicle in a lay-by, emergency lane or as far to the nearside as possible on the carriageway
- Switch off the engine
- Leave your vehicle, but pay attention to traffic and put on a reflective jacket if you have one
- Notify the rescue services. It is best to use an emergency telephone rather than a mobile phone which is unlikely to work
- Wait for help in the vehicle if there is no other place of safety - follow any advice from tunnel control
Accident
- Switch on your warning lights
- Park the vehicle as far to the nearside as possible on the carriageway
- Switch off the engine
- Leave your vehicle, but pay attention to traffic and put on a reflective jacket if you have one
- Notify the rescue services. It is best to use an emergency telephone rather than a mobile phone which is unlikely to work
- Help any injured people
If your vehicle catches fire
- Switch on your warning lights
- If possible, drive the vehicle out of the tunnel. However, never make a U-turn or reverse
- If this is not possible, drive your vehicle to a lay-by, an emergency lane or pull over to the left side of the road
- Switch off the engine, leave the key in the ignition
- Notify the rescue services. It is best to use an emergency telephone rather than a mobile phone which is unlikely to work
- Only try to extinguish the fire yourself it is has just started - don't open the bonnet it may be hot and can increase the fire
- If it's not possible to extinguish the fire, leave the tunnel quickly, moving away from the fire and using the emergency exits
- Help any injured persons
If another vehicle catches fire
- Switch on your warning lights
- Keep a good distance from the burning vehicle
- Park your vehicle in a lay-by, emergency lane or as far left as possible on the carriageway
- Never make a U-turn or reverse
- Switch off the engine, leave the key in the ignition
- Notify the rescue services. It is best to use an emergency telephone rather than a mobile phone which is unlikely to work
- Only extinguish the fire yourself it is has just started - don't open the bonnet it may be hot and can increase the fire
- If it's not possible to extinguish the fire, leave the tunnel quickly, moving away from the fire and using the emergency exits
- Help any injured persons
Remember
- In the event of a fire in a tunnel don't wait to be told what to do
- Never forget that fire and smoke can be fatal! Save your life and not your car!
- When instructions and information are provided by tunnel staff observe them
Previous results
Previous results published on theAA.com »
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EuroTap
The AA is a member of EuroTAP - the European Tunnel Assessment Programme. Find out more about Eurotap in this short video.
