One motor car insurance survey has discovered that 21 per cent of motorists neglect to check their vehicle for basic maintenance such as tyre tread depth.
More than one out of every five of the 1,610 motorists surveyed stated that no monthly basic maintenance is carried out on their vehicles. This could translate to in excess of 7 million motorists across the UK, says discount car insurance provider Sainsbury’s. However critics of the poll quickly state that the figures could be skewed due to the uncommonly harsh winter weather the UK experienced at the end of 2010.
In information that may be of interest to their car insurance companies, 62 per cent of respondents stated that they failed to check the depth of their tyre treads, despite the 1.6mm legal requirement. 56 per cent also admitted to neglecting to check water coolant levels; as the coolant provides protection against the engine overheating, the inspection is an essential one.
19 per cent of respondents stated that the reason they neglect to perform routine maintenance checks is due to lack of knowledge regarding how to conduct such tests. Furthermore, only one out of every two motorists bother to check their brake, rear, and front lights to ensure they are in in proper working order and 50 per cent don’t check the efficacy of their windscreen wipers.