Car Breakdowns can occur literally at any day of the week, or hour of the day to any owner of any car. Brand new cars aren’t immune either with running in faults, and consumable items like tyres being amongst the biggest reason for call outs for cars under 3 years old.
But, there are certain patterns of behaviour that as a Breakdown and Recovery company, we see, and that the government too has noted in published statistics.
It would seem that the hotter months are when we see the most breakdowns; the months of July and August to be precise, though is it necessarily the heat that’s to blame? It’s not like we have tropical weather (yet) in good old blighty then is it? The additional vehicles on the road and vehicles literally ‘going the extra mile’ for family holidays probably all help contribute towards this statistic.
But, nevertheless, stats do also seem to suggest that cars that get hot, can be more prone to failure than those that are kept at reasonable temperature. Oil thins when it’s hot and thus a cars engine compression (especially in older cars) can suffer as a result. But, overheating cars, perhaps as a result of more stationery traffic in hotter months is well documented, as are broken consumables like alternator belts etc.
Tyres remain one of the biggest reasons for call outs for most of the year. Let’s face it, each of us runs at least 4 tyres, often at speed, against hard tarmac for our commutes to work, schools and homes etc. Punctures, deteriorated rubber and punctures caused by potholes are all pretty common issues, and with more and more cars nowadays NOT being fitted with a full spare, but a temporary inflation kit instead, it does mean those with more serious tyre damage have no option other than to call for help.
The road with the most problems, or breakdowns, is reported to be the M1. It’s not the longest road in the UK but it is one of the most important, so perhaps this statistic would be more accurate if we consider the sheer volume of traffic that uses this inter-city motorway instead. And, if you are going to breakdown on the M1, it’ll most likely be on a Friday. Like many of us who work in offices, it’s as if our cars give out a big sigh on that final weekly commute home.
It should be noted too, that August is also one of the wettest months of the year in the U.K and water can sometimes be the cause of call outs, from particulary cars that have become damaged from the more dangerous road conditions.
At the end of the day, we at Autonational are here 24/7/365 to assist with any Roadside issues so you needn’t read too deeply into these statistics.