When your NC500 drive goes wrong!

I travel the North Coast 500 almost weekly during the touring season, and every week I see somebody broken down. I stop to ask whether they are all right, because an unexpected problem in an unfamiliar place can leave people overwhelmed. Punctures feature regularly, including one driver who had a spare wheel and jack but no wheel brace. Before setting off, find out what is underneath you and what you can do if a tyre fails. That small investigation is much easier while the vehicle is working than beside the road when your holiday has suddenly stopped. With a rental car, ask somebody to show you the equipment before you drive away.

Is there a spare wheel, where is it and how do you get to it? Are the jack, wheel brace and any locking-wheel-nut key present? If there is no spare, does it have a sealant kit or run-flat tyres, and what are their instructions and limits? Sealant cannot fix every puncture, particularly sidewall damage. If none of those options is provided, ask what you should do when a tyre fails. Check your own vehicle just as carefully, rather than assuming everything you need is still in the boot. Then look at your breakdown arrangements. Roadside assistance is not necessarily the same as recovery when the vehicle cannot be repaired where it stops.

Establish what your policy or rental agreement provides, where the vehicle can be taken and what happens to you and your passengers. If you break down, seek a safe stopping position, use hazard lights if you are causing an obstruction and keep people away from moving traffic. Don’t attempt repairs where the road or ground makes them unsafe. Contact your assistance provider for an ordinary breakdown, or call 999 if there is immediate danger or somebody needs emergency help. Be ready to explain where you are.

To assist this, download the 'what3words' App before travelling. Many recovery and emergency services accept its three-word addresses, which it can identify using GPS without mobile reception. You still need a means of communicating them. If you cannot make contact, ask another road user to relay your location and assistance details when they reach reception. Whether you contact the operator yourself or ask somebody to relay the details, include the road, direction of travel and any landmarks you recognise. Explain if traffic is blocked. Help may take time, and a garage repair can interrupt your holiday. Preparation leaves you fewer problems to solve at once.

To avoid all this responsibility, book one of our North Coast Explorer private tours!