27 April 2010

Drivers Urged To Take Care Over The May Bank Holiday Getaway

• M&S Premier Car Insurance policies include European Union Travel and  UK and European breakdown cover, covering the policyholder not just their car

Last May Bank Holiday weekend saw 11 million Brits take to the roads*, with heavy traffic and a spate of accidents leading to congestion on many major routes**. This May Day weekend, M&S Car Insurance is urging drivers to plan their weekend getaway travel in advance, to help avoid unnecessary delays to their trips and ensure a stress-free journey to their holiday destination.

Taking care on roads at home

With drivers making longer journeys, and congestion causing longer journey times, breakdowns are more likely over Bank Holiday weekends as cars have to work harder and then have a tendency to overheat***.

Travelling abroad

For drivers taking cars into the EU this Bank Holiday it is important to make sure the insurance policy covers European Union travel. Some insurance policies, such as M&S Premier Car Insurance, have this level of cover, but this isn’t the case with all car insurance policies.

Andrew Ferguson, M&S Head of General Insurance, said: "Busy Bank Holiday traffic can lead to a higher level of accidents and breakdowns.  Having the necessary insurance in place provides extra peace of mind to ensure worry-free Bank Holiday travel. 

"We are urging motorists to take adequate precautions before setting off and while driving to avoid unnecessary stress, breakdowns and causing further delays on the roads."

M&S Car Insurance tips to ensure Bank Holiday travel is a breeze:

• Adequate insurance and breakdown cover provides safeguards and peace of mind. M&S Premier Car Insurance includes RAC breakdown cover to its policy holders.
• Plan journeys beforehand using a route planner such as DirectGov’s Transport Direct website, or use a GPS throughout the journey
• Take plenty of entertainment if travelling with children to ensure they are kept occupied and don’t distract the driver
• Have refreshments in the car to avoid dehydration in the heat and in case traffic jams delay any planned stops at services
• Check the car over before setting off, ensuring the oil, screen wash, coolant and tyre pressures are at correct levels
• Allow plenty of time for the journey
• Make use of websites such as Trafficmaster before setting off to discover which roads to avoid
• Listen to traffic congestion updates on local radio while travelling

For more information about M&S Car Insurance or to apply, customers can visit www.marksandspencer.com/carinsurance or telephone 0800 107 1819

ENDS

Notes to editors:

*11 million Brits took to the road over the May Day Bank Holiday in 2009, according to RAC figures

**Heavy traffic and a spate of accidents led to congestion on major roads as travellers headed away for the Bank Holiday weekend in 2009 (Yorkshire Post, 1 May 2009).

***Smartdriving.co.uk the greatest cause of summer breakdown is overheating - hotter weather and high speeds make a car work harder

For further information please call the M&S Money press office:

Simon Coughlin on 020 7992 1574
simon.coughlin@mandsmoney.com

M&S Money (the trading name of Marks & Spencer Financial Services) was founded in 1985 as the financial services division of Marks and Spencer Group plc, making 2010 the company's 25th anniversary.

The company is a top-ten credit card provider and the second-largest travel money retailer in the UK.  M&S Money also offers a range of insurance cover, including home insurance and car insurance, as well as loans, savings and investment products.

In November 2004, Marks & Spencer sold M&S Money to HSBC. HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 8,500 offices in 86 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,422 billion at 30 June 2009, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world's local bank'.

M&S Money has an executive committee comprising an equal number of representatives from HSBC and Marks & Spencer.

M&S Car Insurance is arranged by BISL Ltd using a panel of insurers.