Warwickshire Garages open their doors to all in October

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership has teamed up with Whitmoore’s Auto Centre, Atherstone, Just Nice Clean Cars, Warwick, and Pro Tyre in Rugby and Southam to hold free open evenings across the county with the aim of breaking down the barriers that prevent some drivers from using garages when services and repairs are required on their vehicles.

We are inviting drivers to come along to meet the mechanics, have a look around the garage, ask questions and be given tips and advice on how to carry out simple maintenance checks on their vehicles.

These evenings are being held to encourage all drivers to maintain service schedules and get their vehicles checked when warning lights appear.

We are also looking to address ‘Garage Anxiety.’ which can affect drivers of all ages.  This is a term used to describe drivers who are concerned about taking their vehicles to garages for services or repairs as they are worried about being ‘ripped off’, have a lack of trust in garages, or fear a large bill they can’t afford.  We will address these concerns with tips and advice on how these can be avoided and advise on what to look for when choosing a garage for your vehicle.

The evenings will be held on:

Tuesday 8 October- 5:30pm – 6:30pm at Pro Tyre, Rugby, CV21 2UH

Tuesday 8 October- 5:30pm – 6:30pm at Pro Tyre, Southam, CV34 5AE

Wednesday 9 October- 5:30pm – 6:30pm at Whitmoore’s Auto Centre, Atherstone, CV9 1JA

Wednesday 9 October- 5:00pm – 6:00pm at Just Nice Clean Cars, Warwick, CV34 5AE

There is no need to book, everybody is welcome.

Sharon Hilton who is leading this project for the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership said

“In a recent survey of drivers aged 17-24 years in Warwickshire, just 3% claimed they had delayed or ignored an MOT when it was required, compared to 50% who stated they had delayed or ignored a service when it was required.  The main reason given was the fear of the cost or being overcharged by the garage due to their age and inexperience.

“Avoiding services and repairs puts the driver at risk of points and fines and increases the risk to driver and passengers of being involved in a collision due to a vehicle defect.  By addressing these anxieties directly and encouraging drivers to meet and talk to the mechanics, we aim to give all drivers the confidence to find and visit garages they can trust and raise awareness of being able to spread the cost of service and repairs to make them more affordable.

“Having safer vehicles on the road is good news for all road users and helps us towards our target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured in road collisions in Warwickshire by 50% by 2030.”