Dashboard app to help drivers see the light

MOTORISTS ARE being urged to use a mobile app to help them decipher dashboard warning lights after research showed one in eight drivers do not keep a manual in their car.

The AA, which released the app, said it receives around 17,000 calls about warning lights each month.

This reaches a peak in the weeks following the launch of new registration plates on March 1 and September 1 each year which results in a boost to the used car market.

AA mechanic Max Holdstock said: “We often find that used cars don’t have a handbook and even if there is one, many drivers never look at it.

“The AA app is a quicker and smarter way for drivers to check what their warning lights mean.

“Although most warning light symbols are standardised, many are not, and with some car dashboards resembling the Starship Enterprise, it’s no wonder that some drivers are left bewildered.”

The motoring group commissioned a poll of 21,000 of its members to see how many were confident about their knowledge of their dashboard. It found 13 per cent either did not get their car’s handbook when they bought it or do not keep it in the vehicle.

Four per cent of drivers would continue driving even if a red warning light came on. The AA advises motorists to stop in a safe place as soon as possible if that happens.

The warning light feature on the AA app can be accessed by the organisation’s 14 million members.