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Women motorists more likely to need wheel changed, but men more likely to use wrong fuel or lose key E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
AA Ireland has released a detailed analysis of 80,000 rescue call outs attended to in the first six months of 2007. The data shows that women are more likely to ask for a wheel to be changed than men, but when it comes to mistakes with fuel or keys – or to having accidents – men seem to be the riskier sex.

Monday mornings are bad for cars as well as people; the data shows that Mondays are the busiest days for car breakdowns. The single busiest day so far this year came early. It was Tuesday 2 January, when 909 calls for help were attended to. The dreaded flat battery is the single biggest cause of breakdown, accounting for 31.8 per cent of call outs. The next most common problem is the simple wheel change, which was needed by 13.1 per cent of all callers. Steering, suspension, brakes, fuel problems and keys all caused tales of woe for Irish motorists as well.

Women were 38 per cent more likely to need a wheel changed than men. This is a normal part of the AA service, but it seems that men are more inclined to do it for themselves. Locking the keys inside the car is infuriating and, when it happens, people feel as if they are the only ones who have made the mistake. But the AA has been called out 2,100 times for this in the first half of 2007, and the victims were 12 per cent more likely to be male than female. Losing keys is also something that afflicts males more – the risk was 18.5 per cent higher for men.

Putting the wrong fuel in the car is rarer – accounting for 417 calls. Again, the men fared worse and were 18.5 per cent more likely to make this mistake. Much more seriously, the AA data showed that men were 42.5 per cent more likely to call as a result of a traffic accident.

AA Ireland attends 160,000 breakdown callouts annually, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The motoring organisation has more than 100 patrols on the road in Ireland, each of which is equipped with the unique ‘Vixen’ diagnostic system, which enables them to log on to a car’s electronics to accurately diagnose faults. Even when ‘unrepairable’ faults, such as accident damage or mechanical problems requiring garage repair, are included, the AA still fixes 80 per cent of breakdowns at the roadside.
 
AA Rescue Call Outs 1 January to 30 June inclusive

Total number of jobs:                79,421
Classification:               
Battery                                     31.8%
Wheel change/tyre                    13.1%
Fuel                                          10.5%
Engine & Exhaust                     9.0%
Locks & Alarms                       6.6%
Transmission                             6.5%
Steering/Suspension/Brakes      5.9%
Ignition                                     4.9%
Electrical                                  4.4%
Body/Heating/Ventilation          3.2%
Cooling                                    2.7%
Charging                                   2.2%

 


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