For a country with a largely urbanised population Australia still has huge expanses of open space and countryside where there are no street lights and only occasional lighting from homes on large acreages. This is even in areas close to large towns and regional centres, where 90% of the population live in suburbia around the shopping and business precincts. These are busy, bustling places with lots of activity and people moving around, but drive 15 minutes out of town, and on a dark night a person unfamiliar with this phenomenon could think they were in the middle of the Outback.
Nothing as Lonely as a Country Road at Night
There are few things with the potential to scare people than breaking down in such a location. Unless the incident happens on a main highway where there is lighting and traffic at all hours of the night, having your vehicle give up the ghost on a dark, remote country road will definitely get the heart pounding. With modern vehicles requiring all kinds of computer technology to diagnose and repair problems, there is little chance of someone handy with a screwdriver being able to start it.
It is comforting to know, then, that some towing companies offer a 24 hour, 7 days a week service, and are not afraid to head out in the dead of night to a remote side road to help a traveller in distress. Australians are, per head of population, one of the world’s biggest users of mobile phones, and circumstances like a breakdown in the middle of nowhere are the reasons why cell phones are so popular. Being able to contact a towing company after midnight and know that within an hour they will be pulling up beside your now useless vehicle is excellent for peace of mind.
Local Tow Truck Company Staff Don’t Need a GPS
It is even better when the tow truck driver is a local and knows the roads well. GPS navigation is great for established routes around cities and towns, but is known to give inaccurate directions once the driver is off the beaten track. The benefit of using a local towing company is that their staff are well trained to be familiar with not only the major arterial roads around the urban areas, but also the dozens of minor roads that criss-cross the country properties and hobby farms. This reduces the amount of time the driver has to wait inside the vehicle in the darkness.
When travelling into country areas late at night, it’s always prudent to make sure your vehicle is roadworthy, and your mobile phone battery is fully charged. If the vehicle does break down, it is a simple matter to ring the local towing company and have them bring you and your vehicle back to town safe and sound.