RAC urges motorists not to start the working year on a flat

With vehicles lying idle during the Christmas festivities and the continuing stormy weather causing problems for motorists, the RAC predicts this Thursday (Jan 2) will be one of the busiest mornings of the year for breakdowns as millions of people return to work.

In fact, the RAC is expecting in the region of 11,000 breakdowns – 40% more than a normal January day – as motorists begrudgingly force themselves out of the front door to work only to find a their car won’t start.

The return-to-work day is traditionally the busiest day of the year for flat batteries. On 2 January 2013 a quarter of all RAC call-outs were for battery-related issues.

And, as persistent rain continues to result in flood warnings, particularly in the South West and South East of England, the RAC has recommended motorists not to risk driving through deep standing water and to check local weather alerts and flood warnings before embarking on their journey.

RAC head of external affairs Pete Williams said: “The weather is continuing to cause problems – already in the worst hit areas over Monday Dec 30 and New Year’s Eve, we’ve seen around 20% increase in demand with exhausted batteries and electrical faults topping the list of breakdown faults.

“We are urging all motorists to ensure their return to work is as stress-free as possible, so if you have not moved your car in the past week give it a short run of at least five miles to test your battery and to give it a boost before you have to use it for work. And give your car the once over - checking the oil, coolant and water levels, tyre pressures and tread, and make sure the windscreen wipers are doing their job or replace them.

“But don’t be tempted to drive through any deep standing water as, in a worse-case scenario, this can cause serious engine damage and a very costly start to the year in paying for the repairs.”

Extensive driving advice for adverse weather conditions can be found on our Winter Driving Advice pages on rac.co.uk.