Today likely to be busiest day for breakdowns in 2015

Monday, January 5, 2015 - 09:37
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tyreCold weather causes battery power output to drop

AA alone to attend around 19,000 call-outs – 30% busier than normal

Today marks the main return to work day (Monday, 5 January) for the vast majority of the UK and with it comes predictions from the AA of one of the busiest in 2015 for car breakdowns.

The AA alone expects to attend around 19,000 call-outs – 30% busier than normal – and it will have extra patrols on duty, with one of the main predicted causes being that many vehicles are left sitting idle over the festive period.

An AA-Populus survey of 16,165 AA members found that a third (35% male vs 30% female) of respondents will have at least one car standing unused throughout the festive period that will be relied on come the first day back. AA members in South-east England (36%) are most likely to be in this situation, compared to those in North-east England (28%) and London (29%).

Mark Spowage, AA patrol of the year, says: “The first working day back in January is traditionally the busiest day of the year for breakdowns with flat batteries the main culprit. The issue is that many cars get left unused for up to a fortnight in often cold conditions, which causes the power output of the battery to drop.

“When starting, it helps to switch off all the electrics and dip the clutch but, if it doesn’t fire up initially, use the starter in short five-second bursts, leaving thirty seconds between attempts to allow the battery to recover.

“If your car has been struggling to start, get the battery tested, as they only have an effective life of around five years. Many garages offer free or reduced price winter car checks.”

How did you fare on your first work commute of 2015? We got here in one piece but the traffic was extremely manic!

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