Auto Express – August 07, 2019

18 7August

Older carscontributing to a

rise in motorwaybreakdowns

THEnumberofvehiclesbreakingdown

onEngland’smotorwayandmajor-road

networkreachedafive-yearhighinthelast

financialyear.HighwaysEnglandrecorded

224,225breakdownsin2018/19,upfrom

afigureof189,256in2014/15.

FiguresreleasedtoAutoExpressshow

thatbreakdownswereupafifthinthe

lasttwoyears,andincreased14.8per

centin2018/19comparedto2017/18.

Itcomesastheaverageageofcars

intheUKhasincreasedfrom7.8yearsin

2015to8.2yearsin2018,andisupfrom

6.8yearsofagein2003.Trafficvolumes

haveincreasedjust0.2percentin

comparedto2017,showingthattherise

inbreakdownsisduetoageingvehicles,

ratherthanagreatervolumeoftraffic.

HighwaysEnglandisresponsiblefor

4,300milesofthecountry’smotorwaysand

Aroads.Whiletheorganisation’snetwork

makesupjusttwopercentofEngland’s

roads,itcarriesathirdofthetraffic.

Some16percentofbreakdownsoccurred

onFridaysin2018/19,while13.46percent

tookplaceonSundays,makingthesethe

busiestandleastbusydaysforbreakdowns–

whichisastabletrendoverthelastfiveyears.

JulyandAugustwerethebusiestmonths

forbreakdownsin2018/19,with21,

and21,000incidentsrecordedrespectively.

Inthepreviousyear,morecarsbrokedown

inMarchthaninanyothermonth.

Themotorwayswiththebiggestnumberof

breakdownsarethebusiestbytrafficvolume,

withtheM1witnessing14.3percentof

allbreakdownsinthelastfinancialyear.

HighwaysEngland’s15busiestroadssaw

81percentofalltherecordedbreakdowns.

HighwaysEnglandhighlightedthatthe

figuresrelateonlytobreakdownsitwas

involvedinorhadawarenessof.Theagency

alsosaid“almosthalfofallbreakdowns

arecausedbymechanicalproblemswhich

couldbeavoidedwithsimplechecks,

andnearlyaquarterarecausedbytyre

NEWS Breakdownwoe

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk

●Rise in strandedmotorists on major roads in England ●Averageage of UK carisnow eight-yearsold

AGE CONCERN

Breakdowns are

being attributed

to the increasing

average age of

carsonUKroads

“HighwaysEngland’s

busiestroads accounted for

81 per cent of breakdowns”

problems.”HighwaysEnglandadvises

driverstochecktheirtyres,screenwash

andoillevelsbeforesettingoutonlong

journeys,andalsotoensurealllightsare

working.Theagencyalsostressedthe

importanceofdriversensuringthey

haveenoughfuelfortheirjourneys.

ThispointwasreiteratedbyRAC

BreakdownspokespersonSimonWilliams,

whosaidalotofbreakdownsare“entirely

avoidable”ifcarsaremaintainedproperly.

JackCousens,headofroadspolicyat

theAA,added:“Withmorestretches

ofalllanerunningmotorways,drivers

willwanttoavoidtheprospectof

stoppinginalivelane.”

To p15roads forbreakdowns

YEAR BREAKDOWNS

2014/15 189,

2015/16 187,

2016/17 186,

2017/18 195,

2018/19 224,

Highwayname FY2014-15 FY2015-16 FY2016-17 FY2017-18 FY2018-19 Total

M1 26,648 25,738 26,476 28,380 32,152 139,

M25 23,823 24,369 24,130 24,818 27,941 125,

M6 23,510 23,374 23,895 24,645 29,428 124,

M5 14,893 13,312 13,591 14,187 15,420 71,

M62 11,501 11,020 10,761 11,686 13,332 58,

M4 10,640 10,496 10,050 10,862 12,462 54,

M40 7,225 7,326 7,140 7,687 9,692 39,

A1M 6,489 6,534 6,508 7,310 8,545 35,

M60 5,448 5,920 6,109 6,302 6,379 30,

M3 5,053 6,151 5,073 5,744 7,033 29,

M42 4,698 4,427 4,160 4,441 4,457 22,

M11 3,700 3,861 3,737 3,707 4,268 19,

A1 3,630 4,134 4,025 3,755 3,187 18,

M20 3,282 3,091 3,016 2,982 4,244 16,

M56 2,805 2,755 2,670 2,749 3,421 14,

Hugo Griffiths

[email protected]

@hugo_griffiths