Meath has a lot of small roads. They link the towns and villages around Dunshaughlin, Ratoath, Trim and Dunboyne, and most of them are unlit, narrow and edged with hedges. A breakdown on one of them at night is unsettling, but a few simple steps make it much safer.
Be seen
Pull in as far as you safely can: a gateway, a lay-by or a wide bit of verge is better than a bend. Hazard lights on. If you carry a high-visibility vest, put it on before you step out. Leave the sidelights on if the battery allows.
Get away from the road
Do not stand beside the car on the road side. Move behind a wall, a gate or into a field entrance, back from the road and facing the oncoming traffic. Keep children and pets with you.
Be found
This is the hard part on a country road, so give us as much as you can:
- Share your location from your phone’s map app, if you have signal
- The townland name, if you know it, and the last village you came through
- The direction you were heading
- Anything that stands out: a pub, a church, a GAA pitch, a farm entrance or a house name on a gate
- The number on the nearest road sign
Ring us on 085 783 9202 with those details. If you cannot find any of them, tell us what you passed in the last few minutes and we will work it out together.
If you are on your own
Tell us when you call. If at any point you feel unsafe, ring 112.
Before the truck arrives
Take your valuables out, switch off anything you do not need, and keep the hazard lights going. We will have agreed the price on the phone already: a call-out from €150 and €2 a kilometre to the destination.
Worth keeping in the car
A torch, a high-visibility vest, a warm layer and a phone charger. In winter, a bottle of water and something to eat as well.
Read our M3 breakdown guide for motorway advice, or see roadside assistance in Meath.