Tag Archives: Breakdown cover

Confused.com Reveals Motor Maintenance Ignorance Endangers The Safety Of Others

Confused.com has revealed that drivers know very little about car maintenance with a worrying 72% unaware how to check brake fluid levels, leaving them in potential danger at the wheel.

Moreover, 69% of motorists have no clue how to check their engine coolant, a fluid which prevents a vehicle from overheating and if left unchecked can cause serious damage to the motor.

In fact, 57% of drivers don’t even know how to change a tyre, while 47% are also unable to even locate the jack.

As Car Care week kicks off, Confused.com is urging drivers to take the time to get to know their motors and keep their cars roadworthy in a bid to keep Britain’s drivers and pedestrians safe.

Motorists are so laid-back about car maintenance that 48% haven’t even looked at their car manual, but with over 28.5 million cars on the road, Brake the road safety charity and Confused.com are urging drivers to love their cars more in a bid to cut down on accidents.

Katie Shephard, spokesperson for road safety charity, Brake, said: “Driving is one of the most dangerous things people do on a daily basis. It’s vital that all drivers are doing regular maintenance checks of their vehicle to ensure they are safe on the road. Shockingly, five people are killed and a further 65 are seriously injured on UK roads every day. Brake urges all drivers to check their vehicle regularly to ensure they’re not endangering their lives, and the lives of innocent road users.”

Gareth Kloet, Confused.com Head of Car Insurance added: “Car maintenance is essential. We all love a bit of TLC so don’t forget your cars need a helping hand to. A lack of car maintenance can cause road safety issues and 72% of drivers don’t know how to check their brake fluid. If a car has insufficient brake fluid, air can get into the brake lines and your vehicles ultimately could stop working and cause serious problems, not only for you but also for others.

“Make sure you do regular checks on your car and also ensure you have breakdown cover just in case the worst happens.Shop around for the breakdown cover you need as costs can vary greatly between providers; a comparison site is a great way to do this.”

To encourage the nation to care for its cars, Confused.com has put together a car maintenance video offering a solution to some of the problems highlighted.

Via EPR Network
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Confused.com Reveals The Rudest Drivers And Launches Etiquette Guide

Confused.com has revealed the results of a new poll which suggests motorists need a fuel injection of mannersConfused.com. The majority of UK drivers consider themselves to be courteous drivers (92%) but think that almost 1 in 3 (31%) of other motorists are in the slow lane when it comes to courtesy in the car.

If motorists could stop other drivers doing one thing while driving it would be using mobile phones at the wheel (27%), tailgating (23%) and showing aggressive behavior (22%). Drivers would also like to see more road users indicating at junctions (35%); less litter thrown out of car windows (17%) and more people letting drivers out at junctions (11%).

London and the North West are home to the rudest drivers (by their own admission), and young drivers, older drivers, people in white vans and in four wheel drives are UK motorists’ biggest bugbears on the road according to the UK poll of 2,000 motorists*.

The poll of 2000 drivers in the UK was carried out by Onepoll on behalf of Confused.com and all figures have been rounded up to the nearest 1%.

For more information on the driving etiquette guide from Sim De La Torre, and other motoring articles, visit Confused.com.

Via EPR Network
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Confused.com Urges Motorists To Fall Back In Love With Service Stations

Confused.com has revealed new research which shows that motorists are shunning motorway service stations on long journeys and risking their lives as a result. The survey by car insurance experts revealed that 79% of drivers are not taking sufficient breaks on UK roads.

The research, which explores the UK’s motorway service station habits, found that a third (32%) of motorists have fallen out of love with the ‘airports of our roads’ and actively avoid stopping, even on long journeys.

One in seven of those questioned admitted that they would not take any breaks at all during a four-hour journey. However, research from Newcastle University has revealed that this bad driving habit can significantly increase the risk of accidents.

Dr Joan Harvey, Chartered Psychologist at Newcastle University, who carried out the research said: “When driving on motorways, or other monotonous roads, a motorist’s maximum concentration level is only maintained for 20-30 minutes, after this time they will start to become bored and will drive on ‘auto-pilot’. After a further 40 minutes of driving their blood sugar levels will drop. These two factors are a dangerous combination as the motorist will start to feel sleepy and will be slower to react to any hazards that might occur.”

Dr Harvey’s research outlines the need for motorists to stop at every third service station (or every hour and a half) on long journeys to ensure they do not become bored and put themselves at risk.

One in ten motorists prefer to park-up and picnic on long journeys – packing their snacks before leaving and pulling up at the service station to tuck in.

Further research supports this, IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) chief examiner Peter Rodger commented: “Research suggests that one in five crashes on motorways are sleep-related. Regular breaks at service stations are essential for preventing such accidents from happening.”

Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com said: “Our research shows that only 8% of us are service station worshippers. By highlighting the huge variety of great service stations dotted along our motorways, we hope to convert more motorists to the happy service station side of life. We’re calling for all motorists to re-kindle their passion for the service station and stay safe on the roads, particularly over the busy Bank Holiday weekend.”

Via EPR Network
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Confused.com Reveals 56% of Drivers Forget Where They Park

Confused.com has revealed that 56% of UK drivers have at some point, forgotten where they have parked their car, and 3% have picked up the phone to ask their breakdown service to help them find it. More than 50 in 2,000 drivers in the UK admit to making that call according to a new survey by car insurance comparison site Confused.com.

The Confused.com survey has revealed some of the gaffes of UK drivers, which have led them to phone for their breakdown service, like 25% of drivers have locked their keys in the car and 10% of drivers have had to call for their breakdown service to help them sort the problem out. Putting the wrong fuel in the car has happened to more than 10% of Brits, with half of those affected (5%), also calling for assistance from a breakdown service to put things right. A small number of UK drivers also admit to calling the breakdown service, not just when their car fails but when they get lost (3.5%), lose their car (3.5%) or the sat nav is playing up (2%).

Needing help changing a wheel (21%) and topping up oil or engine coolant (13%) are other reasons why drivers have called out their breakdown service.

When it comes to forgetting where they’ve parked, women fare worse than men with 63% of women owning up to losing track of where they parked, compared to 43% of men. A whopping 78% of women have run out of petrol, with 69% of men admitting that gaffe. 9% of men and 5% of women have called their breakdown service to help them when their fuel ran dry. This is assuming they’ve managed to put the correct fuel in the car in the first place: more than 14% of men have put the wrong fuel into the car, compared to just 8% of women.

Gareth Kloet, head of car insurance at Confused.com said: “This survey just goes to show how much people use and appreciate their breakdown cover, especially when they get themselves in a potentially embarrassing situation. Shopping around for breakdown cover by using a website like Confused.com can make it more affordable. Although it’s no substitute for remembering where you parked.”

According to the survey of 2,000 drivers, which was carried out at the end of May 2011, almost a quarter of men and just under a quarter of women do not have any breakdown cover.

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