Chivalrous….? Men are all talk when it comes to changing a tyre

More than half of men say they’d help, but just 3% actually do

It’s a situation almost as old as the motor car itself: a woman is stopped by the side of the road changing a tyre. Would a man stop to help?

When questioned, over half (55%) of British males claimed they would stop to help a woman changing a tyre by the side of the road. But roadside tests conducted by Continental Tyres in five cities in England and Wales revealed that, in the actual event, 97% just drove on by. And ladies, don’t even think of getting a puncture in Bristol – not a single passing motorist stopped to offer help. Geordies are far more likely to rise – or crouch – to the challenge.

In a series of practical roadside tests where over 2,000 vehicles were observed, only 32 men stopped to help a woman in her mid-twenties clearly trying to change a tyre on the roadside.

Of the 726 men that drove past when the test was conducted in the streets of Bristol, in two hours not one vehicle stopped to offer assistance. This stark result contrasted with Continental’s initial survey, in which one in every two male respondents in this area of claimed they would stop to help.

However, good old fashioned chivalry may have died down south but up north it was a different story. In Newcastle, the first on the scene within ten minutes of the ‘break-down’ was a pair of friendly coppers very willing to help. A further 12 people then stopped in the space of two hours – which accounted for one in eight of all passers by.

*Based on 55% of all car licence holders being male. Source: Transport Statistics Great Britain 2005

If you are in need of a helping hand, look out for a red coloured Peugeot with a middle-aged driver. Drivers of red cars were much more likely to help, with this colour accounting for 50% of all cars that stopped to offer assistance and Peugeots accounted for 16% of all cars that stopped.

Of those surveyed, 60% of younger people (aged 16-24), more than any other age group, claimed they would stop to offer help to a stranded female motorist. However, in reality, the most likely to stop were those aged 40 – 50, accounting for one-third (31%) of all offers of assistance.

Kate Hanson from Continental Tyres commented “Although the exercise was a bit of fun there is an important underlying safety message for women motorists. If you get into a situation where you need to change a tyre on your car, you can not always rely on being able to ask for help.You need to take responsibility for your tyres and regular checks on the condition of tyres, tyre pressure and tread depth can all help avoid a potentially dangerous breakdown.We encourage everyone to spend five minutes learning how to change a tyre - it really is simple if you just know how.”

Continental’s top tips to change a tyre:

1. Using the tool provided, remove the wheel nut covers. Using the wheel brace, loosen the wheel nuts without removing them.
2. Place the jack on a flat surface under the car (consult your owner's manual for detailed instructions)
3. Using the jack, lift the car until the wheel is two inches clear of the ground, then remove the wheel nuts and lift the wheel off.
4. Put the spare tyre on the car and tighten the wheel nuts with the brace as far as possible, final tightness can only be achieved once the vehicle is lowered to the ground. Wheel nuts can be very difficult to remove but an extending bar or a wheel gun powered from the cigarette lighter socket can be purchased quite cheaply. (Remember, if your spare is a space saver tyre, do not exceed 50 mph and get it changed at a tyre retailer at your earliest convenience)
5. Lower the car with the jack until it touches the ground and tighten the wheel nuts with the brace. We recommend you visit a tyre retailer to have the wheel nuts tightened to the correct torque setting as soon as possible.

Remember!

• Do not attempt to change a wheel on the shoulder of a high speed road.
• Call for emergency assistance using the phone at the side of the road. This gives the support service an exact location for your vehicle and alerts the police.
• You are up to seven times more likely to be injured if you remain in your vehicle. If you do break down on the motorway you should leave your vehicle from the nearside and find a safe refuge away from the vehicle, for example behind a barrier or up a bank.
• Call a breakdown service for help and ask them to inform the police.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Continental

The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tyres and technical elastomers. In 2004 the corporation realised sales of €12.6 billion. At present it has a worldwide workforce of more than 81,000.

The tyre business unit is an Official Partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany ^TM. For further information visit the websites www.conti-online.co.uk and www.ContiFanWorld.com

About the survey

A sample of 1282 GB males aged 16-64 were interviewed by CAWI over the internet from . The sample was weighted to represent the adult population of aged 16-64.

Contact

Emma Fanshawe or Emma AP-Thomas at redTel: 0845 0748810 / E-mail: continentalteam@redconsultancy.com