Research carried out by motoring services specialist, Easytrip, has revealed that one in 10 motorists do not have breakdown cover for their vehicle – which potentially equates to 203,826 vehicles on Irish roads.
That is based on a CSO figure of the road vehicle population for private vehicles in 2016 at 2,038,268. I am actually surprised that the numbers is only 10 per cent. I would have expected a much higher percentage didn’t have such cover.
Respondents to the survey were also asked if they had experienced a breakdown incident in the last 12 months, of which 35 per cent said they did. The following breakdown incidents were revealed as the top five:
•Flat/damaged tyres (44% )
•Battery failure (25% )
•Mechanical problem (12% )
•Keys lost or locked in vehicle (7% )
•Electrical fault (6% )
With winter time officially started on October 29, respondents were also asked what they least liked about driving during the winter months. The easytrip research highlighted the top three most stressful winter driving conditions for motorists as:
•Driving on icy roads (57% )
•Poor visibility of cyclists on the road (43% )
•Glare from other driver’s headlights (41% )
Easytrip advises Irish motorists to reduce the risk of a breakdown incident by checking their vehicles regularly, in particular their tyres for any defects. Remember that the darker and colder weather can make driving more stressful so be prepared, drive slowly, and be ready to adapt to the wide range of driving conditions that the winter months can bring.
