It’s summertime (oh yes, it is) and many drivers will be planning a road trip with their families. Of course, you are an honest driver and have a valid Road Fund Licence, MOT and car insurance. But does your car insurance meet your needs?
According to a report by insurance company AXA, 73% of people don’t check their breakdown cover and 76% their car insurance policy before going on holiday. This leaves them at risk of a breakdown or accident far from home with no cover for emergency accommodation or travel.
The AXA report also reveals that the five most common breakdown issues in the summer months are:
- Overheating
- Gear box issues
- Tyres with no available spare
- Clutch problems
- Loss of power
With the average person planning to drive over 740 miles this summer, AXA is releasing new data to help motorists avoid stressful journeys. According to their report, there are a number of breakdown causes that become increasingly common during the summer months compared to winter. Unsurprisingly, overheating is the top issue; however many people don’t realise that they are 50 per cent more likely to breakdown due to overheating during summer than they are in winter.
Along with overheating, motorists are also more likely to break down during the summer months due to gear box and clutch issues. AXA also receives 20% more call outs for tyre punctures with no spare in the car (which is common for modern vehicles with run-flats), however many are too far away from home to arrange to have the tyres fixed.
Amazingly, 66% of drivers admit to not checking their coolant before heading off, which can be a direct cause of overheating. What’s more, a whopping 94% of people don’t check their gearboxes and less than half check their tyre treads before going on their summer holidays.
Along with preparing your car before heading off, you also need to prepare yourself in terms of what you should do should your car encounter an issue. For instance, fewer than 50% of people would call their breakdown provider if their engine light came on during the summer months and 16% said they would just keep on driving!
It also seems that many people are confused when it comes to their vehicle warning lights. For instance, if a battery charge warning light came on, 25% said they would call breakdown, another 21% would continue driving, 41% would check the problem themselves and 13% said they don’t know what they’d do. It’s a good idea to make sure you have your vehicle handbook in the car so you can identify the problem; very often the situation is easily remedied and you can continue your journey quickly and safely.
But hopefully you will be one of the lucky drivers who encounter no problems at all with their vehicle on their road trip and you and your family have a happy and stress free holiday. Enjoy!
For more information on the top five causes of breakdowns in both summer and winter, and the best ways to avoid these issues, visit AXA’s website
