If your car is damaged in an accident or you suffer a car breakdown you may need breakdown assistance in order to extract yourself from the location you are in.

Obviously breakdown cover doesn’t cover you for accidents but any friendly insurance company should be able to arrange and help you organise a tow from the scene. You may actually find that you can claim the cost of this through your main car insurance policy if it is an accident.

If it is a breakdown then claim through your breakdown cover policy.

Of course removing your car is just one of the things to worry about, especially after an accident, as there are legal issues to consider.

At the scene of an accident you must dial 999 if other people are injured in any way and you must stay at the scene if anyone, other than yourself, is injured or hurt in the accident, the accident has caused damage to a vehicle, other than your own, or to someone's property or an animal has been killed or injured.

If the accident is only minor then you should exchange insurance details with the other person involved as well as your full name and address, the vehicle's registration number and the full name of the vehicle's owner should the car not be registered in your name. You should also then report the accident to the local police station for their records, even if no one was injured.

When it come to a simple car breakdown life becomes a little easier. Simply call your breakdown cover insurer using the number they gave you for emergencies and they will organise for a breakdown truck to come straight to you. Response times vary but because Rescue My Car works with a network of breakdown truck companies across the UK you will not be waiting for very long.

For more advice on car breakdown cover or what to do if you do have an accident or break down call Rescue My Car direct on 0800 0199519.