Drivers warned to use their car over New Years - or face an angry boss

Motorists have been warned they could start 2017 on '˜a flat note' if they leave their cars idle for too long.
File photo dated 06/10/11 of a man looking under a car bonnet, as motorists were warned they could start 2017 on "a flat note" if they leave their cars idle for too long. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday December 29, 2016. The RAC attended nearly 10,000 breakdowns on the first working day of 2016 - up 40% on a typical day - with a third of cases attributed to flat batteries. See PA story TRANSPORT Flat. Photo credit should read: Ian Nicholson/PA Wire TRANSPORT_Flat_071833.JPGFile photo dated 06/10/11 of a man looking under a car bonnet, as motorists were warned they could start 2017 on "a flat note" if they leave their cars idle for too long. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday December 29, 2016. The RAC attended nearly 10,000 breakdowns on the first working day of 2016 - up 40% on a typical day - with a third of cases attributed to flat batteries. See PA story TRANSPORT Flat. Photo credit should read: Ian Nicholson/PA Wire TRANSPORT_Flat_071833.JPG
File photo dated 06/10/11 of a man looking under a car bonnet, as motorists were warned they could start 2017 on "a flat note" if they leave their cars idle for too long. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday December 29, 2016. The RAC attended nearly 10,000 breakdowns on the first working day of 2016 - up 40% on a typical day - with a third of cases attributed to flat batteries. See PA story TRANSPORT Flat. Photo credit should read: Ian Nicholson/PA Wire TRANSPORT_Flat_071833.JPG

The RAC attended nearly 10,000 breakdowns on the first working day of 2016 - up 40 per cent on a typical day - with a third of cases because of flat batteries.

The firm recommended that cars not used over the Christmas period should be driven before they are needed to get to work.

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It advised motorists that a 30-minute drive could be enough to top up a flat but otherwise healthy battery, reducing the chances of a breakdown at home.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘Traditionally, the first day back at work after the Christmas and New Year break is one of our busiest for breakdowns.

‘With millions of multi-car families in the UK, the long festive break often means at least one vehicle is not driven. Each of these unused cars represents a breakdown waiting to happen.

‘Not running a car for a long period dramatically increases the chances of a flat battery so motorists risk starting January on a very flat note.

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‘Our advice to motorists is to give every car in the household a good run before the new working week.

‘That way they can be much more confident of getting the new year off to a good start, rather than off to a non-start, and lessen the chances of having to ring the boss and explain why they are going to be late for the first working day of 2017.’

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