Defective and poorly maintained vehicles played a contributory factor in more than 1,700 road casualties last year, up 7% compared to 2020, according to AA Approved Garages.

Defective brakes were the most common defect causing 750 casualties, including 10 fatalities.

Tyres came second with 491 casualties, but caused more fatalites with 12 people needlessly losing their lives. Faulty steering and suspensions complete the top three, contributing towards 255 casualties with six fatalities.

Penny Stoolman, managing director for AA Approved Garages, said: “These tragic stats show how many lives could have been saved had some simple home checks been carried out prior to setting off.

“Likewise, MOTs and servicing are more than just a health check. They can be live-saving interventions that reduce the number of road casualties across the country.

“We are concerned that rumours about switching the MOT from every year to every two years. That would fly in the face of road safety, and we strongly urge the government to rule this out on today.”

Rising living costs could jeopardise the safety of grey fleet vehicles as one in five drivers say they will cut back on car maintenance if bills soar.

More than three quarters (77%) of motorists surveyed by Startline Motor Finance said the October price cap increase for electricity and gas would affect whether they can afford their car, while 18% said they would put off replacing tyres and 22% will delay servicing.

Research commissioned by IAM Roadsmart found one in ten motorists had put off replacing their tyre when the tread is low. Meanwhile, 7% of survey respondents also stated that they have put off making a tyre change due to a puncture.

This means that of the almost 36 million people with a full driving licence in the UK, up to 4.2 million drivers are possibly deferring critical tyre safety maintenance, while up to 2.5 million motorists are potentially putting off fixing a puncture.

Neil Greig, director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart, added: “Our research has laid bare that far too many motorists have decided to put off potentially critical maintenance on their tyres.

“While we recognise the financial issues many motorists will be facing during such difficult times, taking a chance with your tyres is simply not worth the risk when your own, and other road users’ safety is at risk.”

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