19 March 2012

Poorly maintained cars make for risky driving on UK roads

A new study published by Britannia Rescue has unveiled a worrying reality about the state of the vehicles driven on British roads.

Four months is the average time that UK motorists wait to repair ‘illegal' car faults. New research suggests that the financial crisis is forcing drivers on a low budget to delay unaffordable car maintenance and repairs.

Figures from the research found that up to seven million ‘illegal' cars are hitting British roads due to poor essential maintenance.

18% of drivers have taken the road with an invalidated MOT certificate, which is illegal. In fact, almost a quarter of motorists (23%) admit to driving vehicles with illegal defects, whereas 14% confess their car needs urgent repairs.

Bald tyres are among the most common unresolved motoring problems, although the study highlights further defects such as faulty brakes, broken windscreen wipers, broken or missing wing mirrors and defective brake lights.

Ignorance is, sometimes, the main cause of these problems. 21% of motorists do not know that it's an offence to drive with a defective brake light and 19% ignore the fact that it is illegal to be behind the wheel with faulty brakes.

Car reparations and road safety

"In 2010, poorly maintained vehicles caused 52 road deaths. Neglecting maintenance only leads to bigger repair bills later on, lower second-hand values, and increased fuel consumption,” stated IAM director of policy and research, Neil Greig.

Having car insurance in place is essential to ensure you are protected in the unfortunate case of suffering a road accident.

Aside from making sure that your car is properly maintained, you should ensure that your car insurance policy is up to date. Many people ignore the fact that by performing car modifications -such as flared wings or bonnet bulge; your car insurance company might argue that your contract is no longer valid.

The better understanding drivers have of their car insurance policy, the better use they will be able to make of it.