Now the journeys are over, here’s what to do if your car battery goes flat
The Christmas journeys have come to an end once again, so the car’s now sitting on the driveway or roadside with nowhere to go until the festive period is over.
This might be a warming thought with no more running around to do but this means that your car could be at risk of getting a flat battery whilst it’s not being used.
The RAC says that Tuesday 2 January could be one of the busiest days in the year for breakdowns across the country, mainly because this is the first day back to work for many following the festive period and estimates that around 11,300 cars could end up with issues that need addressing.
Woken up to a flat car battery yet this festive period? © Copyright Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Over the Christmas period as cars sit idle, the battery gets no time to charge which could lead to it becoming flat, whilst older batteries might find it a bit of a struggle to start with the colder conditions.
The RAC advises drivers returning back to work next Tuesday to prepare their car the day before by taking it out on a short journey to charge the battery.
A simple maintenance check of your vehicle is also recommended such as checking the oil, screen wash and wipers. Also make sure your tyres have good tread depth and are at the correct pressure and check your lights are working and clean.
If your car does suffer from a flat battery following the festive period you can try and jump start it with the help of a friend or family member, their vehicle and a set of jump leads.
If it still doesn’t start then the battery might need to be replaced.
A regular check-up of your battery is recommended but recent research carried out by Halford’s found that an alarming 60% of drivers hadn’t had their battery checked over in the last six months.
They also discovered that around half of motorists have no idea how to jump start their car, whilst 66% of drivers don’t know how to change their car battery – this jumps to 80% for motorists aged between 25-34.
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