When you find yourself with a flat, you’ll need to have a quick way to get back on your way.

If you’re well prepared, you may well have breakdown cover, which will cover you for roadside assistance, and possibly qualify you for help at your home address too.

If you happen to be on the hard shoulder, it’s always a good idea to call for help rather than try to deal with matters yourself – it’s a very dangerous place to be.

If you’re somewhere safe, you may wish to try to change the wheel for your spare yourself, but before you do – here’s a critical couple of things to check. Firstly, make sure you’ve got a locking wheel nut with you if you’ve got alloys. These are designed to prevent theft as they’re expensive, but they’ll also prevent you changing a wheel without the right ‘key’ in the form of your locking wheel nut.

Secondly, make sure you’ve actually got a spare wheel. Many new cars are now sold without them – meaning that you’ll need help from a mobile tyre company to get back on the road. It’s something that many motorists don’t realise until it’s too late, when they’re stranded with a blow-out at the roadside.

To get around this problem in at least some cases, invest in a foot pump or electronic compressor to keep in the boot, at least you’ll be able to solve the issue if your tyre is just soft, or some kind soul has let your tyre down as a prank.

Otherwise, make sure that breakdown cover is up to date and covers you for wherever you’re likely to be when you get stuck.