A shocking 10 percent of UK motorists do not have an up-to-date service record for their car, new research has revealed.
Breakdown recovery service Green Flag has discovered that 1.3 million drivers have skipped scheduled servicing on their vehicle.
In addition, five percent of drivers – equivalent to around 690,000 motorists in the UK – don’t even know when their car is next due a service.
Given there are 34 million cars on the UK’s roads, this means up to two million vehicles are potentially being driven without a recent service.
Cutting corners on servicing
As part of Green Flag’s survey, a number of key reasons were identified for why drivers don’t keep up with their car’s servicing schedule.
Exactly a third (33 percent) of those asked claimed they simply could not afford to pay for servicing their car.
A quarter (25 percent) of respondents said they believed their car was running fine, so it did not need to be serviced.
Other reasons included 13 percent who said they did not have time, while 12 percent were concerned about finding a reliable garage to service their car. And 10 percent of motorists did not realise there even was a schedule for maintaining their car.
An easily avoided situation
The impact of skipping a service can be substantial. Green Flag found that almost three quarters (73 percent) of drivers purchased their current car with a complete maintenance record.
A considerable 40 percent said a full service history was the single most important factor in their choice of vehicle to purchase.
Katie Lomas, managing director at Green Flag, commented: “To see such a large number of vehicles on the road without being serviced recently is concerning for both drivers and other road users. It can increase the likelihood of breakdowns and accidents, which could be easily avoided by getting it regularly checked by a professional.
“Ensuring your vehicle is kept fully serviced is important for several reasons. Primarily for safety and peace of mind while driving, but also potentially reducing running costs and the likelihood of either a breakdown or experiencing further issues in the long run. Servicing helps to identify problems with a vehicle early and therefore helps to prolong the lifespan of your car.”
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[…] Source: Motoring Research […]