Motorists ignore dashboard warnings, says research

Research conducted among 625 motorists from vehicle remarketing company, British Car Auctions (BCA), reveals that 23 per cent of motorists have ignored red warning lights on their dashboard, choosing to continue driving before addressing the problem rather than stopping as soon as safe to do so. And whilst over half said they would stop immediately and call for assistance a small minority (5.5 per cent) said they would deal with it when they had time with some hoping it might just go off of its own accord! When it comes to amber advisory warnings, 36 per cent of motorists who responded to the BCA research said they had ignored amber advisory dashboard warnings and did not respond to them with any urgency. Over half (59 per cent) of those polled would continue on to their destination if an advisory light appeared and then address the problem. The research does not reveal how many – if any – of the warning lights were related to TPMS and runflat tyres.

According to BCA’s latest research, it’s not just warning lights motorists are ignoring as a third (35 per cent) of survey respondents said if a ‘service due’ message came up on their dashboard they would not book a service for up to a month. Nearly half of motorists are, however, diligent in their attention to vehicle servicing with 28 per cent getting their car serviced every 10-12,000 miles and 19 per cent servicing their vehicle in line with manufacturer recommendations. 

But the overall cost of motoring certainly appears to be a concern for many drivers, with 15 per cent admitting that in the past year they have delayed or deferred repairs needed. 

However, as Tim Naylor, Editor the BCA Used Car Market Report explained, this could be a false economy, “If a dashboard light comes on, ignoring it now could lead to a substantial repair bill later on that might easily have been avoided. In some cases the vehicle may not be safe to drive and at the very least it may mean performance is compromised which is in itself potentially dangerous.” 

He added “Whilst putting off repairs or maintenance may postpone immediate motoring costs, it could cost a lot more in the long run. While mechanical repairs should be attended to as soon as possible, it is also a false economy to ignore damage to bodywork and trim. Dents, dinks and scratches tend to deteriorate further if not addressed quickly and could end up affecting the resale value of the car some time down the line.”