Parents warned to prep cars for school return
By Maurice Garvey
AA RESCUE are warning parents to prep their cars ahead of the expected avalanche of traffic on Monday, as schools reopen across South Dublin County.
Motorists are advised to check the condition of their car this weekend – AA Rescue warning that Monday could be a particularly busy day for breakdowns, particularly with heavy frost expected on Sunday night.
Parents are advised to start their car for a few minutes over the weekend, particularly if it has been idle for a significant period of time over the Christmas period, to ensure their battery is still functioning.
Other basic car checks, include checking all lights are working.
“Many parents, especially if their children are younger, will have opted or needed to take additional time off from work over the Christmas holidays, meaning that some may not have used their car at all in the past fortnight,” said Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs.
“Leaving a car idle, particularly in the cold weather we’ve seen recently, can result in older or weaker batteries no longer functioning and the car not starting as a result.”
Faughnan recommends starting idle cars for “a few minutes” on Saturday morning, and if it doesn’t start, motorists have time to fix it or visit a garage that day.
“For those who have already returned to work, it’s also advisable to start leaving a little earlier from next Monday as the end of the school holidays will mean increased traffic,” he said.
Keep up with the latest traffic updates from AA Roadwatch at https://www.theaa.ie/roadwatch/newsroom/
