Almost half of UK motorists have admitted that they have put off servicing or essential maintenance for their cars during 2020.

According to a recent survey, 48% of drivers said they spent less time looking after their vehicle this year. It is thought that less car usage and MOT extensions due to the coronavirus pandemic are the mean reason.

The poll asked more than 2,000 motorists between the age of 18 and 65. Of these people, 687 people said that they were driving their car despite being aware of mechanical issues. A staggering 218 people admitted that their car is currently displaying a warning light on the dashboard.

Risk to Life

It is thought that this lack of attention and maintenance could be putting lives at risk. Of all main aspects with car maintenance, it was tyres that were the most often ignored. Almost 1,400 people admitted that they had not checked their tyres since the beginning of the year. And it does not get much better for those who have checked. More than 25% of people who had checked their tyres since the beginning of the pandemic admitted that they knew their tyres needed replacing. The most common reason for not replacing them was cost.

During 2020, the average mileage of a car has dropped from 8,000 to under 3,500. It is because of this lack of usage that people said they were not checking the roadworthiness of their vehicles. Other reasons included tighter finances due to potential job losses, and extension on MOTs.

Of the 2,000 people asked, over half admitted that their car has not had its annual service this year. When asked, most motorists said that this was because they didn’t want to risk increased exposure to coronavirus while at the garage. Several people also said that they did not feel a service was essential this year as they have not used their car as much.

What this means for motorists is that there are potentially many cars on the road that are lacking the necessary routine maintenance needed to keep them roadworthy. This is alarming as it could clearly be putting people at risk on the roads. Especially as winter is almost upon us and the road conditions are set to get more treacherous.