Breakdown insurance: Modern cars confuse
Modern cars confusing drivers
Friday, 16 May 2008 00:09
A third of drivers fail to under their dashboards and 74 per cent are unable to fix their own cars as cars become more complex and dependent on microchips.
As technology plays a greater role in automobiles 47 per cent of drivers admit to having a poor or ‘non existent’ understanding of modern car engines, with just one in twenty believing they have an excellent understanding, a poll by Britannia Rescue reveals.
Ten per cent of men and 30 per cent women acknowledge they know nothing about modern cars.
Emma Holyer, spokesperson for Britannia Rescue, said: “There is little doubt that innovation has made driving a far more pleasurable experience, but it has made part time weekend mechanics a thing of the past.
"With many cars relying on complex electronics or technology, many problems now require specialist equipment, as well as specialist knowledge, to get the problem fixed.
“This means it is even more vital that motorists take out breakdown cover, so if something does go wrong with their car they are able to get back on the road as easily and quickly as possible."
Other common motoring misconceptions include thinking FWD stands for four-wheel drive and not front wheel drive and under a quarter of motorists could not correctly identify the abbreviation of ABS as anti-lock braking system.
Some 28 per cent of Brits did not know the abbreviation of MPV stands for Multi Person Vehicle.