Sixty-three per cent of road users will call on a family member if they run out of fuel on the road, according to a new survey.
Fifty per cent of Irish drivers do not know if it is illegal to run out of fuel in Ireland, and one in four only check their tyre pressure when they think there is a problem.
The study, commissioned by Topaz, also found 60 per cent of Irish road users will only re-fuel their car when their fuel gauge is in the red.
The survey exploring the driving habits of 3,794 Irish motorists reveals that while 91per cent consider themselves efficient drivers, three in five will only stop by the fuel pump when the red light appears on their fuel gauge, greatly increasing the risk of breakdown and causing subsequent damage to their vehicle and engine. What is more, one in 10 Irish motorists admit to having broken down at least once as a result of running out of fuel while driving, causing up to €250 worth of damage to their car and as much as €500 in some cases.
Additional findings included 97 per cut of people saying they would like to reduce their impact on the environment by driving more efficiently, but many are not taking the simple measures to help them do so.
More than one third of drivers fail to check their tyre pressure at least once a month, as recommended, and the majority of drivers are driven by price (44 per cent ). The survey also found most road users would purchase around €40 of fuel on average per visit to the service station (36 per cent ). Thirty-two per cent of those surveyed would spend an average of €20 per visit, while twenty-five per cent would purchase €60 worth of fuel.
