Beat winter’s dark days with Start Rescue and what3words

Long, dark nights make it far harder for drivers to spot landmarks if their car breaks down, but help is on hand from leading provider Start Rescue and what3words.

Even with a breakdown in the middle of nowhere, what3words can pinpoint your location to guide recovery assistance to your exact spot.

“There can be as little as seven hours of daylight in winter, so the chances of breaking down in the dark are much greater,” says Lee Puffett, Managing Director of Start Rescue. “That’s why we are working with innovative technology company what3words to ensure a speedy response and nobody is left feeling lost.”

what3words provides a simple way to communicate precise locations. It has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares, and given each square a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. This means even a point along an unmarked road has its own address.

Chris Sheldrick, Co-Founder and CEO of what3words adds: “Breakdowns are always stressful – especially on winter nights when the weather can be unpredictable. Familiarising yourself with the free what3words app provides peace of mind, knowing you can always communicate your exact location.”

The what3words app is free to download for both iOS and Android and works entirely offline, making it ideal for use in areas of the UK with an unreliable data connection, including remote back roads and motorways. The app is available in over 60 languages to date, including Welsh.

How to use what3words with Start Rescue

• Be prepared and download the what3words app before heading out for a drive.
• To find your current location, open the app and click the blue arrow (iOS) or compass (Android) and the what3words address will be displayed on the screen. Make sure you wait a few seconds until the GPS has settled and the blue dot is not jumping around – this will give the most accurate result.
• Share your what3words address with Start Rescue when reporting a breakdown by phone along with any other location descriptions you may have – such as nearby roads, towns, or any other landmarks you can see. 
• Start Rescue will send a recovery team to your exact location as quickly as possible.

Start Rescue has a 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot, a five-star Defaqto* rating and has achieved Which? Recommended Provider status for six years running. Start Rescue has also been awarded best Breakdown Cover provider in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 (www.finder.com), scoring 4.9 out of 5 for overall satisfaction with a 94% recommendation rate.

In the What Car? Survey of Best Breakdown Cover, Start Rescue came top for best response time, reaching 77% of call-outs in 30 minutes to an hour and didn’t leave anyone waiting for more than two hours. Start Rescue also won best in the survey for performing temporary repairs that let people continue with their journeys.

Launched in 2009, Start Rescue is an integral part of the nation’s fourth largest breakdown and recovery service, Call Assist, which now has more than two million UK customers.

For further breakdown advice, please visit startrescue.co.uk.