Driving on empty increases

It is a combination of the credit crunch and the cost of fuel that is forcing drivers in the UK to stretch out what little fuel they have in the tank of their car, but for many drivers this is an economy taken just a little bit too far.

According to motoring breakdown services, around twenty per cent of drivers say that they cannot afford to put enough fuel in their cars in order to get safely through the week. This has meant that in the past three months over 340,000 drivers have broken down on the road simply because they have run out of fuel.

It seems that it is young professional people and single parents whom more likely to avoid putting in enough fuel to see them through the week. In fact, around sixty per cent of all drivers have allowed their fuel to get so low that the fuel warning light has come on while driving.

Britannia Rescue spokeswoman Emma Holyer said: "Increases in fuel prices are hitting drivers hard, especially against a background of rising food and housing costs. But while it is now more costly to fill up at the pumps, running a car on empty can damage a car's fuel pump - requiring repairs that will make a full tank of 50 petrol seem like a bargain.

"Drivers who run their car on empty are also at high risk of breaking down. Not only is this extremely costly if you don't have breakdown cover and also very inconvenient, running out of fuel on the roads that don't have a hard shoulder can create major safety hazards for other drivers."

Source [Metro]