If you’re on the road a lot, particularly in an older car, then breakdown cover can be a few pounds well-spent. Plus, if you drive on the continent regularly, it’s wise to consider European breakdown cover as well. Although having your car break down isn’t usually a laughing matter, roadside assistance crews have reported responding to numerous funny or downright weird callouts over the years.

One taxi driver called RAC for help due to a warning light on his dashboard. He described it as “a man holding a snooker cue.” The mysterious warning indicator was actually the “fasten seatbelt” light.

Another RAC patrol responded to a pregnant motorist who insisted that the patrolman fetch her a Big Mac before allowing him to repair her car.

Here’s an incident that must have been interesting to describe to the dispatcher: a car at a safari park in the UK was rendered inoperable when two mating giraffes fell on to the bonnet. Certainly makes it less embarrassing to have to report you’ve locked yourself out, doesn’t it?

Then again, you never know when nature and the laws of physics will combine to prevent a callout altogether. One motorist, while attempting to retrieve locked-in keys experienced the happy coincidence of a rogue vegetable rolling out of a shopping bag and hitting the unlocking mechanism. But, it’s best not to count on vegetables to come to your aid. If you compare breakdown cover, you’ll find it’s an affordable option that can keep an unfortunate situation from getting worse.