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<\/p>\nA comedian has gone viral on social media after describing an encounter with a contractor she says came to provide roadside assistance but did not carry identification.<\/p>\n
In a widely viewed TikTok, Laura Johnston said when she called NRMA for assistance late one evening in February, she was confronted by a man who behaved aggressively, swore at her and then left when she asked for identification.<\/p>\n
The experience led her to start a petition calling for companies providing roadside assistance to ensure their contractors carried identification or registration details.<\/p>\n
By lunchtime on Wednesday, her petition had already garnered more than 20,000 signatures, and other comments echoing concerns about the lack of safety awareness for those stranded in remote areas.<\/p>\n
‘A terrifying thing to hear’<\/p>\n
Ms Johnston told ABC Radio Canberra her experience began when she broke down about an hour outside the city and called the NRMA.<\/p>\n
She said she was told someone would be there to help in about 120 minutes.<\/p>\n
“And then 20 minutes later, a random car pulled up, no branding, no marking, it had a broken back window,” Ms Johnston said.<\/p>\n
Feeling scared due to the remote location and late hour, she stayed in her car and called her sister, who overheard the exchange that followed.<\/p>\n
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The NRMA requires metropolitan patrols to arrive at jobs in branded vehicles, but not those in regional areas. (Supplied: NRMA)<\/p>\n
“A guy gets out [of the car] and then aggressively tries to get me out of my car,” she said.<\/p>\n
“He ends up swearing at me when I ask him for identification and then he storms back to his own car and tells me that I’m going to have to wait until the guys from Canberra come.<\/p>\n
“Which is a terrifying thing to hear when it’s 10pm at night just outside Canberra where you’re nowhere near anyone that you know.”<\/p>\n
Ms Johnston said her sister, having overheard the man say “F**k you”, then called the police while she herself contacted the NRMA again.<\/p>\n
She said it took 22 minutes for the NRMA to verify that the man was one of their contractors.<\/p>\n
“Had he been wearing a uniform or able to identify himself with a code, this would never have happened,” she said.<\/p>\n
In a statement, an NRMA spokesperson said their regional contractors were required to wear appropriate branding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said patrols operating in metropolitan areas were “always required to wear NRMA uniforms and arrive in branded vehicles”.<\/p>\n
“In regional and remote areas, the NRMA uses a contractor system to provide roadside assistance and towing services,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“Contractors are required to wear appropriate branding and uniforms based on the type of work being undertaken or will notify members that NRMA dispatched them.”![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edb6d87a2d112ef31345c282261c935a.jpeg\")
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The NRMA said its contractors were required to wear branded uniforms when operating in regional areas. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)<\/p>\n
There are no laws requiring companies to have their staff or contractors explicitly display branding or provide identification.<\/p>\n
But some states do mandate that tow truck companies ensure their vehicles have markings that display details such as their business name, address and telephone number.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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