"It’s extremely shocking to see that so few Brits are testing their alarms as often as they should be and it’s especially worrying that many are never checking them at all"
The comparison site asked respondents how often they check their alarms, and only 6% said they do so once every week or more, which is the frequency recommended by a number of smoke safety bodies.
Shockingly, 29% admitted that they never test their alarms at all, making it the most selected frequency on the survey. A further 18% said that they only check them once per year, while 17% perform a test just once every six months. This means that the vast majority of Brits are putting themselves at an enormous health and safety risk in their own homes.
The full results can be found below:
How often do you test your smoke alarm?
Daily - 1%
Weekly - 5%
Bi-weekly - 1%
Monthly - 14%
Every two or three months - 15%
Once every six months - 17%
Yearly - 18%
Never - 29%
When respondents were asked why they don’t check their alarms more often, the main reason given was forgetfulness. Of those who test their alarms less than once per week, nearly half (49%) said that they simply forget to.
Alarmingly, 27% also said that they didn’t think they’d need to check their alarm any more often than they already do. This is despite the fact that they were already testing less than the recommended frequency.
For some, it’s simply a lack of knowledge about the process, as 10% said that their reason for not testing their smoke alarm more often was that they didn’t know how to. Frustratingly, another 7% stated that they simply can’t be bothered to check more often.
Many Brits are also unaware of the impact that this simple mistake can have on their home insurance. According to the survey, 74% don’t realise that their claim could be impacted if they fail to check their alarm. Claimants for fire damage may receive a lower payout or have their claim rejected in full if insurers find that the alarms weren’t working when the fire occurred.
Ceri McMillan, a home insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “It’s extremely shocking to see that so few Brits are testing their alarms as often as they should be and it’s especially worrying that many are never checking them at all.
“It can’t be overstated how dangerous it is to neglect your smoke alarms. Not only does it pose a significant risk to your safety, but it also means that your insurance claim could be rejected in the event of a fire. As a result, you could be left with the devastating double whammy of your home being seriously damaged and having to pay for the repairs yourself.”
