DON’T LET RAIN DRIVE YOU TO DISTRACTION THIS WINTER

• Two thirds of UK drivers don’t know when to change their wiper blades

• Halfords hits record 100,000 bulb, blade and battery fits in one week

• Car bulb replaced every 1.5 seconds as Britain drives into winter

HALFORDS is urging drivers to avoid “wiper woe” this winter season, as weather analysts predict cold, wet fronts over the coming weeks.

The advice comes as new research has found that two thirds of drivers don’t know when a wiper blade should be changed in order to ensure they maintain good visibility in wet and wintry weather conditions.

Many drivers (16%) would wait for a garage to tell them a wiper blade should be replaced – despite the fact that an issue may not be picked up for many months during an annual service or MOT – a further 15% would wait until they begin to screech and 13% admitted they simply didn’t know when to change them.

Paul Tomlinson, Halfords’ wet weather expert says; “As soon as a wiper begins to smear rather than clear your windscreen it is past its best and should be changed. Modern flat wiper blades don’t screech on the windscreen, so drivers listening for this audible warning are likely to miss the signs that their blades aren’t cutting it anymore.”

With inclement weather predicted, Halfords is advising caution and asking drivers to apply the same safety conscious approach that they do for head and tail-lights – which saw more than 100,000 bulbs fitted last week by Halfords colleagues - one every 1.5 seconds.

Paul Tomlinson, Halfords’ wet weather expert says; “A bulb either works or it doesn’t, there’s no middle ground, so it’s easy to spot a defective one. However, our research shows that there are likely to be many motorists out there struggling to see as their wiper blades fail to cope with the elements.

“Poor visibility doesn’t just make driving in the rain unpleasant and more tiring but failing to see a hazard quickly slows your reaction time. This can add several car lengths to your stopping distance and make the difference between avoiding a collision and not.”

To help motorists identify whether their wiper blades are passed their best, Halfords offers a free five-point winter check - comprising car batteries, head/tail light bulbs, wiper blades, oil levels and a free screenwash top-up at over 700 sites across the UK (440 Halfords stores and 303 Halfords Autocentres).

To find your nearest winter check store or garage visit www.halfords.com or www.halfordsautocentres.com

-ENDS-

For further information please contact Halfords@z-pr.com or 020 7896 3404

Halfords is the UK's leading retailer of automotive products and aims to enhance customers’ use of their vehicles by ‘Supporting the Drivers of Every Car’ and ‘Equipping Families for Their Leisure Time’.

Through around 300 Halfords Autocentres we are also one of the UK's leading independent car servicing and repair operators - delivering dealership-quality MOTs, repairs and servicing to motorists at affordable prices.

Halfords stores sell around 9,000 retail products, increasing to around 160,000 online - encompassing significant ranges in car parts, in-car technology, child seats and roof boxes.

Customers are able to shop at 465 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland or order online and choose to either collect from their most convenient store or a home delivery.

Halfords employs approximately 11,000 colleagues who are trained to offer expert advice and 8,000 of which help to deliver a while you wait fitting service for consumables including bulbs, blades and batteries as well as child seats and in-car entertainment systems.

For more information visit www.halfords.com or www.halfordscompany.com

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