Europcar says that breaking down is the second biggest worry for motorists on long trips.
Traffic delays and accidents are the issues which sandwich the breakdowns.
With the average age of cars on Britain’s roads now over seven years, it’s not surprising that this could be a concern ahead of the last Bank Holiday weekend before Christmas.
According to the Europcar research only 12% of motorists in a car over six years old think to service it before heading on a long journey. 10% of women surveyed have been stranded roadside and of those, 59% have waited up to three hours for a breakdown service. Europcar is highlighting the advantages of car hire as a safe, reliable and flexible alternative for UK families getting away this Bank Holiday weekend.
Green Flag estimate about 40,000 unlucky motorists will break down over the Bank Holiday period and the most common cause will be battery failure.
With over 15 million cars on the roads this weekend for the last long weekend of the year, IAMRoadSmart is urging motorists to prepare for possible breakdowns and jams.
IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman said it pays to prepare for the inconvenience of getting stuck.
- Don’t attempt to repair anything if you are not confident. Wait for your breakdown professional to arrive, especially if you’re stopped in a dangerous location such as on the hard shoulder of a motorway.
- Knowing where you are will help them find you so take a mental note of junctions and place names along your route.
- If you need to get out of the vehicle, put on reflective clothing if you have it, especially if it’s dark or wet.
- Always carry a fully charged mobile phone but if you haven’t got one look for the nearest safe place to make a call such as a local shop or open business.Never walk across a motorway or dual carriageway to get to an emergency phone.
- Try to pack an emergency bag with the basics – a drink, some snacks and items to keep your passengers occupied. A breakdown can take time and money to fix so a credit card will also be a useful essential item.
Richard added, “Plan for the best but prepare for the worst and your journey will be far less stressful, should anything go wrong.
“The last thing you want is to start your bank holiday with a breakdown that ruins your plans and those of your passengers. Keeping up to date with routine maintenance will help prevent you from being caught out. Stay safe and enjoy the bank holiday.”
With warm weather predicted it’s also important to keep plenty of water and food in the car in the event of traffic delays at peak times.
