29/11/2018
Millions of Irish motorists are unprepared for winter driving
A survey of 2,000 motorists has revealed many Irish motorists are unprepared for winter driving. Nearly half admit that no maintenance or checks have been carried out on their vehicles in preparation for colder weather.
According to the AA, as many as one in six say they’ve broken down during the colder months as a direct result of not checking or preparing their car. Tyre pressure, tyre tread, battery life and oil condition are all essential checks that should be done before driving in the cold.
Fully 74 per cent of drivers did not consider battery checks important for winter driving. Dead batteries are the most common cause of winter breakdowns.
Four in 10 don’t know how to adjust the height of their headlight beams and, incredibly, one in six don’t know how to work their high-beam headlights from behind the wheel.
Indeed, many are unaware of how to put their fog lights on and 40 per cent said they didn’t know how to fill up with anti-freeze. What isn’t a shock is that one in seven said winter driving proves more difficult than summer driving, with one in 10 saying they avoid it completely.
As many as 20 percents of the five million road accidents a year are mainly down to weather, the government says.
On the bright side, 80 per cent people know how to clear an icy windscreen and 73 per cent can change windscreen washer fluid. Worryingly, one in 10 didn’t know boiling water on a frozen windscreen is, in fact, a bad idea…
Winter driving: essential checks
Check tyre treads and pressures
Get brake pads and discs checked
Check battery charge
Top up anti-freeze
Top up washer fluid
Check bulbs, keep lights clean
Examine your wiper blades
SAVE TIME AND BOOK YOUR SERVICE AND FREE WINTER CHECK AT CHARTON NOW
PRICES FROM €69+VAT
CALL 01 4097100
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