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Exclusive: number of breakdowns reaches five-year high

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    Hugo Griffiths 2019-07-29 16:40

    Highways England records 224,225 breakdowns in 2018/19 financial year - up a fifth in two years; rise comes as average age of cars increases

    Breakdowns

    The number of vehicles breaking down on the UK’s motorway and major-road network reached a five-year high in the previous financial year, with Highways England recording 224,225 breakdowns in 2018/19, up from 189,256 in 2014/15. 

    Breakdowns were up a fifth in the last two years and increased 14.8 per cent in 2018/19 compared to 2017/18, figures released to Auto Express following a freedom of information request shows.

    Best breakdown cover

    The surge in recorded breakdowns comes as the average age of cars in the UK has increased from 7.8 years in 2015 to 8.2 in 2018, and is up from 6.8 years in 2003. Traffic volumes have remained broadly stable over recent years, increasing just 0.2 per cent in 2018 compared to 2017, indicating the breakdown increases are due to ageing vehicles, rather than larger volumes of traffic.

    Year

    Number of breakdowns

    2014/15

    189,256

    2015/16

    187,913

    2016/17

    186,319

    2017/18

    195,292

    2018/19

    224,225

    Highways England is responsible for 4,300 miles of the country’s motorways and strategic main roads. While the organisation’s network makes up just 2 per cent of England’s roads, these roads carry a third of the country’s traffic. 

    Friday remains the busiest day of the week for breakdowns, with 16 per cent of breakdowns recorded on Fridays in 2019/18. Sundays, unsurprisingly, see the fewest breakdowns, at 13.46% in the last FY. This trend has remained stable over the last five years.

    Last year’s summer getaway saw July and August become the busiest months for breakdowns, with 21,759 and 21,00 recorded respectively in those months in 2018/19. That bucks the previous year’s trend, when more cars broke down in March on Highways England’s roads than in any other month.

    The motorways with the biggest number of breakdowns are, unsurprisingly, the busiest roads by traffic volume, with the M1 witnessing 14.3 per cent of all breakdowns in the last financial year. Highways England’s 15 busiest roads were witness to 81 per cent of all recorded breakdowns last year.

    Highway Name

    FY 14-15

    FY 15-16

    FY 16-17

    FY 17-18

    FY 18-19

    Grand Total

    M1

    26,648

    25,738

    26,476

    28,380

    32,152

    139,394

    M25

    23,823

    24,369

    24,130

    24,818

    27,941

    125,081

    M6

    23,510

    23,374

    23,895

    24,645

    29,428

    124,852

    M5

    14,893

    13,312

    13,591

    14,187

    15,420

    71,403

    M62

    11,501

    11,020

    10,761

    11,686

    13,332

    58,300

    M4

    10,640

    10,496

    10,050

    10,862

    12,462

    54,510

    M40

    7,225

    7,326

    7,140

    7,687

    9,692

    39,070

    A1M

    6,489

    6,534

    6,508

    7,310

    8,545

    35,386

    M60

    5,448

    5,920

    6,109

    6,302

    6,379

    30,158

    M3

    5,053

    6,151

    5,073

    5,744

    7,033

    29,054

    M42

    4,698

    4,427

    4,160

    4,441

    4,457

    22,183

    M11

    3,700

    3,861

    3,737

    3,707

    4,268

    19,273

    A1

    3,630

    4,134

    4,025

    3,755

    3,187

    18,731

    M20

    3,282

    3,091

    3,016

    2,982

    4,244

    16,615

    M56

    2,805

    2,755

    2,670

    2,749

    3,421

    14,400

    Grand Total

    153,345

    152,508

    151,341

    159,255

    181,961

    798,410

    Highways England highlighted that the breakdown figures relate only to incidents the organisation was involved in or had awareness of. The agency also said that “almost half of all breakdowns are caused by simple mechanical problems which could be avoided with simple checks and nearly a quarter are caused by tyre problems.” Highways England advises drivers to check their tyres, screenwash and oil levels before setting out on long or significant journeys, and also ensuring all lights are working as they should. The agency also stressed the importance of drivers ensuring they have enough fuel in their vehicles to complete their journeys

    Have you noticed a rise in breakdowns recently? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below...


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