In the current uncertain economic climate, people are looking at all manner of ways to cut down their expenditure, be it shopping for food at less expensive stores or eating in when before they may have gone out for dinner.<\/p>\n
But one area individuals need to think carefully about when it comes to reducing spending is their cars.<\/p>\n
While it is possible to make savings and find bargains in other aspects of life, motorists need to resist the urge to cut corners with their motor – especially with regard to matters such as car repairs.<\/p>\n
Failing to get problems seen to is a false economy – cars that are unfit for the road are more likely to end up costing owners more in the long-term.<\/p>\n
The more important matter to consider here is safety. Vehicles that are unsafe to drive should not be on the streets – not only do they put the life of the driver in danger, but also passengers, fellow motorists and pedestrians.<\/p>\n
Despite this, it seems many people in the UK are happy to ignore the warnings and are delaying getting their car seen to.<\/p>\n
New research from Gocompare has shown that 36 per cent of UK drivers – which equates to more than ten million people – have put off servicing their auto in an effort to save money.<\/p>\n
A further 27 per cent of survey respondents admitted to having driven in excess of 2,000 miles above their car manufacturer's recommended servicing mileage before taking the motor into the garage.<\/p>\n
Perhaps of greater concern, however, was the finding that one in ten car owners – or 2.8 million drivers – are at risk of hitting the road illegally by not having their worn out or damaged tyres replaced sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
The research also highlighted the most common problems that motorists take their time getting fixed. While ten per cent have delayed replacing tyres and eight per cent have laboured over getting new windscreen wipers, eight per cent have stalled on repairs related to the engine or mechanics.<\/p>\n
Scott Kelly, head of motor at Gocompare, said: "Driving an unroadworthy vehicle is illegal and you could end up with points on your driving licence, a substantial fine as well as invalidating your car insurance."<\/p>\n
Mr Kelly noted: "If you're one of the 17 per cent of drivers who don't have breakdown cover, you could end up severely out of pocket if your car were to breakdown.<\/p>\n
"Paying for cover annually is usually much cheaper than paying on the spot recovery charges and can cost as little as £18.80, the equivalent of 36p a week, making it more affordable than you might think."<\/p>\n
The expert pointed out prevention is cheaper than cure when it comes to car problems. By placing money to one side each month, motorists can make sure they have enough spare cash to fix an issue as soon as it is discovered.<\/p>\n
People should also take it upon themselves to regularly check their vehicles to find any problems with the auto that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the current uncertain economic climate, people are looking at all manner of ways to cut down their expenditure, be it shopping for food at less expensive stores or eating in when before they may have gone out for dinner. But one area individuals need to think carefully about when it comes to reducing spending […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-model-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n