Despite cars advancing over time and adopting better safety equipment, driving a vehicle is still one of the most dangerous things a person can do. As such, taking precautions to ensure every journey you make is safe is crucial.
To help you figure out what you can do to enhance the safety of your car, and in turn, your journeys, take a look at the advice below.
1.Tire Check
It takes a few minutes to inspect your tires, check the air pressure, top them up, and also buy new tires online if needed. But for many, this task gets pushed to the wayside.
In doing so, drivers put themselves and their passengers at risk of an accident. Because if you have underinflated tires with a low tread depth, for example, the car will be more difficult to control on the road.
2. Wipers
Ineffective window wipers on your vehicle lead to poor visibility, and poor visibility leads to a reduced picture of what's going on the road.
If the wipers have stopped working completely or are so worn, they're causing more smears and smudges on the window than the outside debris and weather conditions themselves. It's time to upgrade your wipers!
3. Brakes
Test the power of your brakes regularly in an open space by performing an emergency stop. Gauge the car's responsiveness as you hit the brakes.
Use your initiative to determine whether you think the brakes are working adequately and are safe enough for you to steady and stop the vehicle on the road in everyday traffic.
If they feel spongy, or the brakes are lacking an expected ability to slow or stop the car, book the car in for a check-up at your local trusted garage. As there could be an issue, such as worn brake pads impairing the car's ability to stop.
4. Air Bags
We often forget about airbags in the car because we can't see them. But it's oh so important to remind yourself they're there and to book your car into the garage every year or so to ensure they are working.
While every precaution should be made to prevent a crash. You'll want to know that as a last resort if you're involved in a car accident, the airbags will activate and potentially save your life in a car accident.
However, the opposite is true for young front passengers. It's often safer to put them in the back of the car behind a front passenger's seat. But if this is impossible to do in your car and they need to sit in the front seat - disable the airbag. Because the velocity of the airbag is likely to do more harm than good to younger family members.
5. Lights
Regularly checking your car's bulbs are working is another car safety precaution that's often forgotten, that could be detrimental to your journey on the road.
Have someone help you check the rear lights to confirm they are working. You can check the front lights are working on your own.
Should the front bulbs look dim or broken, buy and install some new bulbs immediately. Otherwise, you will decrease the visibility of your vehicle to other cars and will become a hazard on the road for other drivers.
6. Install a Reversing Camera
The backup camera used to be a luxury gadget installed in inexpensive cars. But now this device is more accessible to the masses, it's worth considering having one installed in the name of safety.
Peering through the back window and using the mirrors will not uncover everything that could be directly behind the vehicle, such as a small child. Having a reversing camera will give you confidence in reversing wherever you may be safely.
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