American drivers unprepared for holiday travel mayhem

Nov. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- Almost half (45 percent) of American drivers say they plan on taking a road trip of two or more hours during the upcoming holiday season. That’s according to the Allstate 2011 Good Hands RoadsideSM Assistance Survey, which also found that drivers, despite having considerable experience with disabled vehicles, underestimate the chance they will encounter mayhem on the road.

The survey reveals that the average American driver has experienced more than four individual instances of a disabled vehicle, and nearly two in three have suffered some form of inconvenience or delay because of it. One in five Americans has been stranded for more than two hours due to a disabled vehicle.

Yet 84 percent of drivers say it’s not likely that they would find themselves in a situation where their car is not drivable due to a mechanical breakdown or a number of other common problems. This sense of security is even shared by 82 percent of those who have personally experienced four or more such situations.

Break down
Despite what drivers say they think will happen, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of Americans have experienced an auto breakdown or other situation:

Seventy-nine percent have experienced a flat tire, 77 percent have had a dead car battery, 68 percent had a car that wouldn’t start, and 67 percent have been in an accident.
Fifty-nine percent say they have locked keys in the car, 33 percent have lost keys, 38 percent have run out of gas, and 36 percent have had their car vandalized, broken into or stolen.
Maintenance has its benefits
Many occurrences of disabled vehicles happen as a result of unforeseen accidents, unavoidable circumstances, or simply bad luck – situations over which drivers have little or no control. But the survey reveals there may be a correlation between how frequently drivers have routine maintenance performed on their vehicles and the occurrence of a disabled vehicle.

The 63 percent of drivers who say they keep up with all routine maintenance and service on their car report an average of 3.7 occurrences, while drivers who report less frequent maintenance and service report 5.7 occurrences.
Drivers who keep up with all routine maintenance are less likely than those who don’t keep up with all maintenance to have:

Had a dead battery (72 percent versus 87 percent)
Had a car that would not start (62 percent versus 80 percent)
Run out of gas (33 percent versus 46 percent)
Nearly a quarter of American drivers (22 percent) say the economic downturn has caused them to delay or skip routine maintenance of their car.
Mr. and Ms. Fix-it
Drivers express a high level of confidence in their own ability to fix common problems that can occur to their cars while driving.

Solid majorities of Americans say they’re confident in their ability to fix the following problems by themselves without help from another person: a flat tire (77 percent confident), an empty gas tank (87 percent), a dead battery (74 percent), keys locked in the car (69 percent), and a blown fuse (67 percent).
Regarding every one of these potential problems, men are considerably more confident in their abilities to fix the problem. The percentage saying they’re “very confident” in their ability to fix the following problems are: a flat tire (88 percent men/39 percent women), an empty gas tank (77 percent/60 percent), a dead battery (72 percent/39 percent), keys locked in the car (51 percent/39 percent), and a blown fuse (71 percent/29 percent).
Survival of the most prepared
Just 51 percent of American drivers say they’re confident that they would be able to survive with the items currently in their car if they were stranded for up to three days. Men are significantly more confident in their ability to survive (62 percent) than women (40 percent).

While most American drivers say they currently have the bare emergency essentials in their car, a much lower percentage report having the full list of recommended items, and many drivers say they’re missing some crucial safety aids.

Ninety-five percent have a spare tire and 93 percent have a jack and tire iron.
Seventy-two percent have a flash light, 69 percent have jumper cables, 68 percent have a cell phone charger, and 60 percent have a basic automotive tool kit.
Fifty percent have a first aid kit and 47 percent have a warm blanket.
Just 30 percent say they have emergency drinking water, 24 percent say they have flares, and only 16 percent say they have emergency food.
Who you gonna call?
Fewer than three in ten American drivers say that their first instinct would be to call a roadside assistance service in the case of a disabled vehicle during their average daily driving. In the case of a disabled vehicle far from home, however, American drivers would be nearly twice as likely to call a roadside assistance service. So who are they calling?

Forty percent say they would call a friend or family member, while 28 percent would try to fix the problem themselves. Four percent would call the police, wait for other emergency assistance or flag down another driver.
Women are most likely to seek help from someone they know, with 54 percent saying their first instinct would be to call a friend or family member.
Men are most likely to take the “go it alone” route, with 44 percent saying their first instinct would be to try to fix the problem themselves. Twenty-five percent would call a friend or family member.
Roadside assistance by the numbers

Sixty-one percent of Americans say they belong or subscribe to a roadside assistance service, but roadside assistance service membership varies by household income level.

Only 52 percent of those with a household income of less than $50,000 belong to a service, compared to 72 percent of those in $100,000+ households.
Drivers with older cars are less likely to belong to a roadside assistance service. Eighty percent of drivers with a car one year old or newer belong to a service, compared to 64 percent of those with a two-to-five year-old car, 57 percent of those with a six-to-ten year-old car, and 56 percent of those with a car that is 10 years old or more.
Eighty percent of those who subscribe to a roadside assistance service have used it at least once, and 20 percent have used it five times or more.
About Good Hands Roadside
Good Hands Roadside Assistance, which Allstate introduced last year, is the first free-to-join, pay-per-use, roadside assistance service that is available to all drivers, not just Allstate customers.

A member in need of roadside assistance can call 1-800-ALLSTATE and receive access to a 24/7 nationwide network of reputable towing companies. The program offers pre-negotiated, flat rates that the average consumer may not be able to access without a membership. Consumers with passenger cars or light trucks will pay a flat rate of $75 for a tow up to 10 miles and $50 for other roadside events such as service for a flat tire, a dead battery or keys locked inside a car.

About the Survey
The survey of American drivers age 18 and over was conducted October 12-17, 2011, among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American adults reached via landline and cell phone. The margin of error for the national sample of drivers is ±3.1 percent. The survey was conducted by FTI Consulting, Inc. (FTI) for Allstate.