Nearly half of all motorists don't know how to change a tire. Three out of 10 don’t know where the windshield washer bottle is located.
That is among the findings of a recent survey which found that many U.S. drivers have no idea about basic car maintenance. The canvass was done by Flexed, a UK-based vehicle leasing company.
The company asked more than 3,000 drivers if they knew how to carry out basic maintenance tasks:
- 63 percent were unable to check the oil level.
- 58 percent didn't know where to add engine oil.
- 49 percent didn't know how to change a tire.
- 31 percent didn't know how to check the air pressure in a tire.
- 29 percent were unable to fill the windshield washer bottle.
- 1 percent didn't know how to fill up with fuel.
Required education?
Suggesting that many vehicle breakdowns are directly caused by owners' ignorance of everyday maintenance checks, Flexed company spokesperson Mark Hall proposes that vehicle maintenance be taught at schools and colleges.
How’s that for an idea?
"If school pupils – and that's both boys and girls – are shown how to do even the most basic of tasks, that's a skill that they've got for life," he says.
What’s more, company officials feel basic vehicle maintenance should be added to the driving test to prove that new drivers know their way around a vehicle or motorcycle. That will go a long way to prevent breakdowns on public roads, which sometimes cause long and costly delays, they note.
What are your thoughts?
Please email at [email protected] and I will share them in a future Kolman’s Korner blog.
