KEEPING a car on the road is an expensive business, and a new survey has revealed some people may be putting lives at risk by not maintaining their vehicle properly because they can’t afford to pay for servicing.

The investigation found 22 per cent of those questioned had deliberately not had their car checked in the past 12 months due to the high cost involved.

As the experts point out, however, this is a classic case of false econony that could lead to a fault not being discovered on time and escalating into a big bill ...or causing an accident.

Almost half of those surveyed admitted the amount they spend on maintenance had decreased due to a drop in their disposable income — an aspect of the recession that is never mentioned by governments.

Meanwhile, the Westminster administration is losing money because a change to the road tax rules means owners of many new cars now don’t have to pay a single penny if their pollution emission levels are low. This may be well intentioned, but it’s financially bonkers.

These latest cars are causing as much damage to road surfaces as older motors, but the burden of coughing up enough tax to cover repairs is now falling increasingly on drivers who probably have less cash to spare.

The Westminster Government is apparently becoming concerned about this drop in income.

They should have thought of that before naively overdoing the ‘green’ stuff!