We know ‘tis the season to be jolly’ but there are usually one or two festive events you want to dodge over Christmas. Whether it’s your Great Aunt’s best friend’s Christmas buffet or grabbing drinks with an ex-work colleague, we all need one, or two, believable excuses to escape unwanted plans.
Using its extensive automotive knowledge, Jardine Motors collected a list of five car related ‘auto excuses’ with useful facts and statistics for you to use at your disposal this Christmas. Never worry about avoiding an event again!
You can use these excuses to stay at home and watch your favourite movie, or you can sneak away and do something fun. Whatever your reason for skipping a social event, we can all agree that going to a Christmas market is a more enjoyable and safer bet.
“I need to cancel tonight, I’ve just seen the price of fuel“
Although fuel costs have been declining recently, as of June 2022, they were reaching regular daily records of roughly 191p per litre of petrol and 199p per litre of diesel. These prices are enough to make you send your friend or family that text saying you’re going to have to miss the event.
This can also be supported by petrol stations’ seasonal opening hours and the sheer effort of travelling o get this ridiculously priced fuel. Perhaps it’s better to rearrange and get back in your pyjamas instead?
“My car tyres look deflated“
Whether you want to claim your tyre deflated on the way, or you went out to the car and noticed you had a flat, a flat tyre is a great car-related excuse to free you of unwelcome plans. Studies show that nearly 50% of motorists don’t feel confident changing a tyre, which really works in your favour.
If you haven’t signed up for breakdown cover it’s unlikely you’ll get your tyre changed in time for that all important event, so we advise cancelling in advance… Oops.
“I think it is snowing”
As the winter months bring with it some treacherous weather conditions, you may feel more at ease off the roads altogether (or at least that’s the excuse you’ll use). Despite driving a decent and roadworthy car, statistics show only 3% of UK drivers invest in winter tyres as it’s believed they only provide benefits in snow, so are unprepared for icy or wet conditions. However, with their additional benefits noticeable in temperatures as low as 7 degrees, investing in winter tyres are useful for all UK motorists.
So until the other 97% join the world of winter tyres, it might be an excuse you can just about get away with.
“You’ll never guess what? I think the dog has hidden my keys”
There is nothing worse than losing your keys, and if you have a pet there’s always a great excuse to blame your furry friend. We have all heard the classic line, “my dog ate my homework” well why not upgrade that to “my cat has hidden my car keys!”. After There are a few reasons why this excuse is ideal to use, with the top one being the unknown duration you’d have to spend looking for them and locksmiths can take some time to arrive.
Although locksmiths aim to get to motorists as soon as possible, during the Christmas period services may be a little slower, meaning you’re unable to confirm an arrival time at the event you’re trying to ditch. Secondly, the service doesn’t have a set fee leaving you to pay out more than expected, thus giving you two solid reasons to cancel altogether!
“I can’t seem to find my car, it’s definitely around here somewhere!”
This excuse was inspired by the movie, why not tell your party host that you just simply cannot find your car, yes it is slightly absurd to suggest that you have misplaced your car but then again so is going to a party in -5 weather. Use this excuse and pop your feet up while you watch your favourite movies.
With the Christmas party season looming, it is a great time to remind ourselves of being responsible. If you are going to drive to a party please sustain from drinking alcohol or call a local taxi for the journey home.