The RAC is advising UK drivers to make sure they check their tyres regularly to avoid problems.
Having asked drivers about tyres it seems that a number of them are unaware of legal requirements regarding tread and also the general condition of the tyre. The RAC survey found 45 percent of drivers did not know that the minimum tread depth of a tyre is 1.6 mm. For female drivers this went up to 60 percent being unaware of the figure.
Tyres can be forgotten about quite easily but they are very important for road safety, general performance and also fuel economy. The RAC would like drivers to check their tyre condition and pressures at least weekly to avoid having a problem on the road.
Drivers who omit to mention previous drink driving convictions could well find their car insurance is invalid should a claim be made say Norwich Union.
A Norwich Union representative understood that a conviction for drink driving would increase a drivers car insurance premium considerably but by choosing not to declare it at all would cost much more when the cover was deemed invalid. Such a conviction would certainly come to light when a claim was made so it is in the drivers interests to declare it upon buying the insurance cover.
Should a person be found not to have declared something such as this and then had their cover terminated this information would be held on a central car insurance database explained Norwich Union, which would increase the premium still further.
A study carried out by Sainsburys Bank looking at data for the last 12 months has shown an increase in car insurance cover of 5.8 percent.
Sainsburys Bank has been studying the data since 2005 and this is the first time that the average annual premium has gone over the GBP500 mark, standing currently at GBP514. Commenting on this increased cost a spokesperson explained that premiums take into account both the cost of vehicle repair and personal injury and as these increase so premiums have to go up to cover those costs.
Car insurance premiums are also affected by the number of claims, something Sainsburys Bank would like to see reduce. They are therefore asking drivers to take more care behind the wheel, avoiding dangerous activities in order to have less accidents which will then lead to a reduction in insurance costs.
