> **Quick Answer:** Put your hazards on immediately and coast to the right shoulder. Do not stop in a travel lane. Once parked, stay in your car with your seatbelt on and call for fuel delivery or roadside assistance. Do not walk along the highway to find gas. A gallon delivered to your window is worth far more than the risk of walking on a live highway.
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## What To Do
1. **Hit your hazard lights the second you feel the car losing power.** Don't wait until you're stopped. You want traffic behind you to see you slowing down before it happens.
2. **Steer to the right shoulder.** Use whatever momentum you have. A highway shoulder is dangerous, but it's safer than stopping in a travel lane. If you can reach an exit or a rest area in the next few hundred feet, aim for it.
3. **Pull as far right as you can.** Get your tires off the pavement and onto the gravel or grass if possible. Every extra foot of separation from traffic matters.
4. **Stay in the car with your seatbelt on.** This is the rule most people break. Walking along a highway shoulder puts you in serious danger from distracted or tired drivers drifting right. If your car gets rear-ended while you're standing outside it, there's nothing protecting you. If your car gets hit while you're inside it, the vehicle absorbs much of the impact.
5. **Turn on your interior dome light if it's night or low visibility.** It helps other drivers recognize there's a person inside a stopped vehicle.
6. **Call for help before you do anything else.** Options in order of speed:
- Your auto insurance roadside assistance (check your app or card in your glove box)
- AAA if you're a member
- A fuel delivery app like HONK or Urgently
- 911 if you feel unsafe or are in a high-risk spot like a tunnel, bridge, or blind curve
If you are in a situation where you are in a genuinely dangerous location, see [car broke down on a bridge: what to do](/car-broke-down-on-bridge-what-to-do/) for location-specific guidance.
7. **Set out reflective triangles or road flares if you have them.** Place them 100 to 300 feet behind your vehicle. If you do not have them, your hazards alone will have to do.
8. **Do not accept a ride from a random stranger.** Wait for a verified service.
9. **If you must exit the vehicle,** do it from the passenger side, away from traffic. Move up the embankment or barrier immediately. Do not stand at the driver's side door.
10. **When the fuel arrives,** typically one gallon, that's enough to get you to the nearest gas station. Do not try to stretch it. Fill up completely before getting back on the highway.
If you have kids in the car with you, the calculus on staying put versus getting out shifts. Read [car broke down with kids in car: safety steps](/car-broke-down-with-kids-in-car-safety-steps/) before you make that call.
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*Photo: Pexels*
## What It Might Cost
Fuel delivery through roadside assistance is often included in your policy or membership. If you are paying out of pocket:
- Fuel delivery service fee: $50 to $80 on average, not counting the cost of the gas itself
- AAA membership pays for itself after one or two calls per year
- If your car coasted to a stop somewhere that needs a tow first, expect $75 to $125 for a short local tow
Check whether your insurance covers emergency fuel delivery. Many policies include it and drivers never use it because they do not know it exists. If you want to understand what roadside coverage actually costs without a membership, [roadside assistance without insurance membership cost](/roadside-assistance-without-insurance-membership-cost/) breaks it down.
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*Photo: Pexels*
## Stay Safe
- Never walk on a highway shoulder to find a gas station. Drive to one or get fuel delivered.
- Keep your seatbelt on while waiting. A parked car on a shoulder gets hit more often than people expect.
- If a highway patrol officer stops to check on you, follow their instructions. They may ask you to move to a safer location.
- Low fuel warnings typically appear when you have 30 to 50 miles of range left. Take them seriously, especially on rural stretches where exits are sparse.
- Running a tank to empty repeatedly damages your fuel pump over time. It draws fuel from the bottom of the tank where sediment collects. If your car stalled and will not restart even after adding fuel, the pump may be the issue. See [fuel pump died on highway: what to do right now](/fuel-pump-died-on-highway-need-tow-truck-now/) for next steps.
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*Need roadside help? Visit [Tow With The Flow](https://towwiththeflow.com/ran-out-of-gas-on-highway-what-to-do/) for real answers when your car breaks down.*
Ran Out of Gas on Highway: What to Do Right Now
Photo: Pexels