Four million embarking on a UK holiday will not carry out any pre-travel checks

High temperatures, busy roads and heavy loads can put cars under strain on long journeys.

Kwik-Fit have revealed that one fifth of the 20 million people going on UK holidays this year will not carry out any pre-travel checks.

The research shows that 48 per cent of motorists don’t check their tyre tread, one in five fails to check the pressure and nearly 63 per cent of motorists say they don’t check their spare tyre before hitting the road.

55 per cent don’t inspect their coolant levels and 62 per cent do not make sure their brake fluid is at the right level. A quarter of drivers also fail to check screen wash and oil levels.

The research shows that the average family on a domestic holiday expects to cover 400 miles on their summer break but that three million holidaying motorists are due to travel over 750 miles this year, with high temperatures, busy roads and heavy loads combining to put cars under strain.

Last year, 500,000 motorists admit to breaking down whilst holidaying within the UK in 2009 and 400,000 suffered a puncture.

Ian Fraser, chief executive at Kwik-Fit, said: “There are very real safety implications  – worryingly, brakes are one of the pre-travel checks most neglected by holidaymakers."

"And the importance of the spare tyre shouldn’t be underestimated, as a full car on worn out rubber could spell disaster."

Further information:
Kwik-Fit