Whenever you are driving, you should be doing so defensively and thinking about what you can do to help avoid car accidents. But you can also think about car accident prevention before you ever hit the road. With proper car care, you can actually help reduce your risks of getting into an accident.
7 car care tips that can help reduce the risk of getting into an accident are:
- Replace the wipers: Driving through the rain or a heavy storm is always a little risky, but it gets way more dangerous if you don’t have working or effective windshield wipers. At least once a year and before your area’s rainy season, you should replace the windshield wipers with a new set. New wipers can run between $15 and $30 on average, which is hardly a price to pay if it means keeping you safe in a rough rain.
- Polish the headlights: Headlights can’t do too much if the exterior of them is covered with dirt, mud, and bug remains. Whenever you wash your car, be sure to give the headlights a good clean and polish. Also, if the lenses of your headlights look yellow or foggy, then it might be time to replace them entirely.
- Adjust the tire pressure: Your car’s dashboard lights should warn you when there is an issue with the tire pressure. When that light turns on – it usually looks like a flattened U with an exclamation mark inside of it – you should check and adjust the tire pressure for all four tires immediately. Before you leave for any long drives, you should check the tire pressure, too, even if the light isn’t on.
- Listen to the brakes: If something is wrong with your brakes, you might not get any dashboard light to warn you about it. Instead, you have to pay attention to the brakes yourself. Listen for any squeaking or grinding noises when you brake. Head to the mechanic if you hear any. You shouldn’t ignore any sudden drops in your brake’s performances, either.
- Check the brake lights: Speaking of the brakes, don’t forget your brake lights. One of the more common reasons that rear-end accidents happen is a defect with a car’s brake lights or taillights. During regular car maintenance or just once a month or so, you should check that your brake lights are working. A friend can help you check. If you have to check alone, you can do so by backing into a spot against a wall and applying the brakes. You should be able to notice red light behind your car when you hit the brakes, especially if you conduct this quick test at night.
- Refill the fluids: There is a variety of fluids that make your car run optimally – or at all. Brake fluids, oil, power steering fluids, and transmission fluids are four of the most important fluids that your car needs. Oil checks should happen once a month by using the dipstick, which you can probably do yourself if you wish. Other fluids should be checked once a year, and you might want to leave those up to a mechanic.
- Make some upgrades: This final car safety tip isn’t exactly maintenance, but it is worth mentioning. If you are looking to splurge a little on yourself, then consider improving your car’s safety systems. A particularly good upgrade that you might want is adding blind spot detectors to your side mirrors, which will light up if they detect a car or person in your blind spot.
From everyone at Politis & Matovina, P.A., one of Florida’s most trusted car accident law firms, we wish you the safest travels whenever and wherever you drive. If you ever need our firm’s help with a case, please don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation with us.