Cars are like appliances and we should be able to pay closer attention to properly maintaining them. As a result, we won’t be surprised if it breaks. Other than maintaining our car, we should also make sure that it is safe. There are simple things we can do to make our car safer, such as checking whether there’s an object under the brake pedal, which may prevent us from stopping the car properly. Any object inside the car interior should also be firmly secured. This will prevent any object to roll around under our pedals and cause unwanted accidents. These items can be stored inside the boot or glovebox. Mirrors, lights and windows should be clean from bugs and dirt at all times. Some accidents are actually caused by impaired visibility, due to very dirty rear windscreen that is covered completely in mud and dust. Here’s a clue, if children can write “I’m filthy” on the rear window, then it is really filthy. At any time of the day, we should be able to see through the windows properly.
Dirty headlights are unable to properly light up the road. We should have the ability to accurately judge what is around us, even during the darkest night with no other external lights. Before we drive our car, we should make sure that there are no strange vibrations and noises. It means that our car engine won’t cut out, especially when we are in a busy road. There are areas in our cars that we should check regularly. It isn’t necessary to have any kind of mechanical skill to know that something is wrong with our car. Car pressure should also be checked regularly, especially if we are planning to drive along a lengthy highway. We should check the manual to know about the ideal pressure. It should be noted that when we replace the new tire, it may have different air pressure. The depth of tire treads should also be checked periodically. In some countries, the legal limit is 1.5mm to make sure safe grip on slippery and wet surface.
We should avoid driving into deep potholes, because they can damage the wheel and the suspension. Accumulated damages could result in sudden failures when we are driving at high speed. If there are faint cracks on our wheel, we should be able to look at it immediately. Some clunking noises can actually be repaired easily. It could be caused by loose or missing wheel nuts. Under heavy swerving and braking, it is actually possible to break or come off completely, causing a fatal accident. If the steering wheel vibrates or swerve to one side when we release it, then we need to rebalance the wheel. Imbalances could be caused by repeated knocks caused by potholes.
To make sure that our car is safe, it is important to check the brake pads regularly to ensure that it doesn’t wear out. The braking performance could be degraded if the pads have been worn down. This will make it longer for the car to stop
