The RAC attended 7,904 breakdowns in the first quarter of 2024 due to bad road surfaces, up 53% on the last three months of 2023, a clear sign that the UK is suffering a pothole epidemic as roads continue to crumble. Analysis from the driving services company shows it’s been far from a smooth start to the year for the nation’s drivers, with pothole-related breakdown numbers up by 10% in the last … [Read more...]
Is your car good to go?
Warmer weather encourages getaways but you need to check if your car is in a good place too, say Holts. Here are some tips on what to check. 1. Tyres Tyres are often considered the most important safety aspect to check because they are the thing that connects your car to the road. Check for proper tread depth, cuts or bulges, and ensure that the tyres are inflated properly. 2. … [Read more...]
Think light to see fuel savings
Specialist insurance broker ChoiceQuote has compiled tips on ways you can improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency from maintaining tyre pressure to minimising idling time. Maintain tyre pressure Maintaining the correct tyre pressure should not only extend the life of your tyres and improve vehicle safety, but also improve your car’s fuel efficiency. Overinflated or underinflated tyres can … [Read more...]
Crash, bang, wallop – it’s National Pothole Day
To mark National Pothole Day, Go.Compare Car Insurance can reveal the top ten counties in England and Wales whose roads are most peppered with potholes today. Topping the peak pothole list was Derbyshire County Council, which reported 215,787 potholes over three years between January 2020 and December 2022. Two more northern counties took the 2nd and 3rd place spots, with Durham and Lancashire … [Read more...]
Young drivers skipping safety costs, says the RAC
Inflation and the cost-of-living crisis are worryingly causing young drivers not to maintain their cars properly, risking their safety and that of other road users, says the RAC, and its particularly bad in Wales. A quarter of young drivers aged 17-24 (26%) say they have put off necessary repairs to their cars to save money while nearly three-in-10 (28%) are not servicing their vehicles as … [Read more...]
Wales’ drivers get more out of evs in winter
South and West Wales drivers will suffer less than the north of Britain as winter sweeps in and cuts the mileage from their electric cars and vans. Technical components distributor Distrelec estimates that the ideal climate for an EV is 21°C to get the most miles out of a single charge. Comparatively, EVs tend to achieve more mileage in climates that are milder. Distrelec’s research found Truro … [Read more...]
Servicing boost follows ageing cars and vans
ATS Euromaster has seen a significant increase in the volume of SMR work it is now completing, with work on brake changes up 27%, commercial vehicle servicing up 41% and the number of MOTs completed increasing by 8%. The tyre and maintenance provider believes a combination of factors is behind the increased SMR workload and is seeking about 100 employees on a rolling basis until the posts have … [Read more...]
Potholes problems see more calls for RAC help
The poor condition of Britain’s local roads is laid bare today by new figures from the RAC which show its patrols went out to more than 8,100 pothole breakdowns between April and June 2023, the highest number in five years. Since the start of 2023, the RAC has dealt with 18,250 breakdowns for damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels – the call-outs which are most … [Read more...]
Holts advice to save money on your tyres
Tyres cost a lot of money and you could be wasting hundreds of pounds because of neglect. Holts have tips on how to increase tyre lifespan with five simple rules. Car tyres may be tough, but they still need replacing more regularly than almost any other component on your vehicle. There are, however, plenty of ways to extend the lifespan of your car’s rubber including… Check tyre air … [Read more...]
Lesson learning EV event is underway
I'm fully charged and ready to go in this year's EV Rally! Bridgestone EMIA / Bridgestone Fleet Mobility and Webfleet are pioneers in sustainable mobility solutions, so to be with both teams on day 1 of this 1,200 rally means such a lot. Some of the biggest brands in sustainability are taking part, but I couldn't be in better - or safer hands than Bridgestone and Webfleet. Webfleet's on-board … [Read more...]