London, England — A new survey commissioned by the RAC indicates that 26 percent of drivers aged 17 to 24 have put off necessary repairs to save money.
The survey, which polled 2,538 U.K. drivers and was carried out by the research company Online 95 for the RAC, found that 28 percent of drivers aged 17 to 24 are also not having their vehicles serviced as frequently as needed.
Across all age groups polled. 38 percent of drivers said they have reduced spending on their cars, whether that be switching to a cheaper insurance, servicing their vehicle less often, or putting off repairs. However, for young drivers, this figure increases to 64 percent with 6 percent of respondents aged 17 to 24 even admitting to illegally putting off annual mandatory safety checks.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “it’s clear from the findings of our research that inflation and the cost-of-living crisis are causing drivers to cut back on car repairs, which will almost certainly lead to an overall reduction in the roadworthiness of vehicles using the roads.
“But the sheer extent to which younger drivers are being affected by rising prices is also a major cause for concern.
“Many will be in older, cheaper vehicles anyway meaning the risks of something going wrong if they don’t look after them properly could be higher than for the general driving population.”
“This is why the RAC continues to oppose Government proposals to increase the gap between mandatory MOTs for older vehicles from 12 months to two years.”
