Breakdowns caused by empty fuel tanks treble
Number of callouts caused by running out of petrol trebled over past four years, says new report
The number of breakdowns caused by empty fuel tanks has increased significantly over the past four years. One in six drivers broke down last year after running out of fuel, according to LV=, the insurance company. It said the number had trebled since 2011, with the amount of motorists “gambling” on driving on a low tank going up after petrol prices rose sharply the previous year.
MOTORISTS have adopted a dangerous, “devil-may-care” attitude to driving with the fuel light on, a report has claimed, after finding the number of breakdowns caused by empty tanks has soared over the past four years.
One in six drivers broke down last year after running out of fuel, according to the insurance company Liverpool Victoria, which trades as LV=. It said the number had trebled since 2011, with its claims data showing callouts rising in each of the four years.
John O’Roarke, managing director of LV= Road Rescue, said drivers had developed “bad habits” and had started to gamble on driving on a low tank when petrol prices started rising in 2010. The warnings come as supermarkets reignite a fuel price war in response to the falling cost of oil.
Morrisons will take 2p off a litre of petrol and 1p off diesel today, with rival pump operators expected to follow.
Petrol prices could now drop below £1 a litre, the RAC Foundation predicts. Prices rose from 114p a litre in March 2010 to 133p a year later. They breached 144p a litre in 2012 and dropped back to the same level as 2010 only last December.
In its survey of 1,500 motorists, LV= asked those who admitted to driving on a very low tank why they took the risk. More than half said they had purposefully driven past a petrol station “in the hope of finding cheaper fuel elsewhere”.
Mr O’Roarke said: “Our research suggests more than two million motorists drive with their warning light on nearly constantly.
“Most say they are more concerned with traffic jams, heavy rain or getting lost.
“Having to buy expensive motorway fuel can be frustrating, but if it saves you the stress of running out of petrol and potentially causing damage to your engine then it’s worth the cost.”
It also appears that a proportion of people overestimate how far they can go once the light comes on, LV= said.
For the 10 most common cars driven in Britain, the fuel light comes on with an average of 38 miles of fuel left in the tank, its research found.
For some vehicles such as the Vauxhall Astra, the distance is just 26 miles. Larger cars that consume more fuel per mile tend to warn earlier. For example, the Mercedes Benz C-Class alerts the driver when 46 miles remain in the tank.
One in four motorists said they thought it was safe to drive 40 miles after the light had illuminated.
Mr O’Roarke said: “Apart from the obvious inconvenience for the motorist and other road users in the event of a breakdown, the driver can also be issued a fixed penalty notice in some locations, such as tunnels or bridges, if the incident was foreseeable.”