Car Safety: 3 things to do every week
Prior to a trip to visit family this weekend, I was performing my weekly maintenance on my cars. Good thing I did. The car we initially planned on driving had one tire that had lost 1/3 of its air pressure. I checked the same tire less than one week ago and it was spot on. Luckily, it was not an issue to drive the other vehicle, but it served as a simple reminder of how important simple car maintenance should be for all of us.
As the driving world becomes increasingly more hectic, properly controlling our own driving environment is critical to our safety on the road. Following are three things I do every week to keep my cars safe.
Clean the windows
It amazes me how much I see other vehicles with windows so filthy I cannot even see the driver. I wonder how well they will be able to react in an emergency situation? It takes 5 minutes to clean the windows and allow for proper visibility.
Clean the lights
I’m referring to both the headlight and taillight assemblies. Even a small layer of dirt can have a drastic impact on the ability of the lights to do their job. The obvious consequence is not being able to see the road as well as the driver, but equally important is the ability for other drivers to see you. Wiping down the headlights and taillights is a 30 second job.
Check tire pressure
Perhaps the most important weekly task we can do to make our driving environment safer is check our tire pressure. Improperly inflated tires, in most cases with low pressure if they’re not checked regularly, will result in your vehicle handling altogether differently. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries occur every year as a result of improperly inflated tires. In addition, fuel mileage will suffer as a consequence.
It should be noted that insurance companies are quick to look for opportunities to “shift the burden” of blame. This can be especially frustrating when one is otherwise not at fault. While we cannot control how responsible other drivers on the road will be, it is incumbent upon the rest of us to take steps to create safer driving conditions for our precious cargo.
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