Car breakdowns: drivers switched between trucks in hours-long ordeals

Knowing what’s in the small print of your policy is vital if you break down. Photograph: Martyn Evans/Alamy

For a driver of a broken-down car waiting next to a main road with children, the sight of a recovery vehicle is an enormous relief, and a sign that the journey home can begin. But that journey may not be straightforward.

For many families, the trip may involve clambering in and out of the cabs of several flatbed trucks. There may also be difficulties caused by the time of day, where you are in the country when you break down, where you live, and even how long the driver who picks you up has been on the road.