How A Well Maintained Car Keeps You Safe When You Drive

One of the most important things you have to know about being a car owner is that your vehicle needs to stay in very good shape in order to be safe on the road. Vehicle maintenance is simply mandatory to keep your entire family and whoever is in the car with you safe. Obviously, this has to be combined with defensive driving and other things. However, the most important thing to keep in the back of your mind is how vital maintenance is.

Why is car maintenance important when you drive? Here are some things to remember.

Brake Failure

When your car maintenance routine does not include properly taking care of your brakes, they end up failing. As this happens, both you and the other drivers on the road are in danger. Serious or fatal accidents can always happen.

Car brakes are a vital security feature that should never be neglected. It is easy to understand why since it is the brakes that stop the car before collisions happen. Because of this, the negligence of another individual when it comes to brake maintenance can quickly become a huge problem.

There are different warning signs that brake trouble exists and that you have to take the vehicle to the mechanic as soon as they appear. The very common ones are:

• The burning smell inside the cabin
• The dashboard shows brake warning lights
• Squeaking or grinding noises, especially when pressing the brake pedal
• Leaking brake fluid
• Vibrating or shaking steering wheel
• The vehicle keeps pulling to a side when driving
• Brake pedal resistance is lower than it used to be

Lower Repair Costs

One thing that many do not know about cars is that when they are properly maintained, repairs cost less. Even car warranty costs go down because you properly take care of the car. Lower maintenance brands that have low maintenance such as Kia, may also have very low extended car warranty costs. For instance, gogetolive.com offers very good prices when you prove that you are interested in vehicle maintenance.

How do lower repair costs influence safety? As you take care of your vehicle, you pay less for repairs. This means that you can afford to invest more in safety features in the long run. For instance, you might upgrade your braking system.

Tire Maintenance

Tire maintenance is vital when it comes to car accident prevention. When tires are not maintained, serious blowouts can happen, which leads to vehicle control losses and potential serious car accidents. Tires are a huge part of being safe when you drive and they have to perform exactly as intended.

Different tire problems can be mentioned. Whenever you see any of the following, make sure that you go to a mechanic as soon as you can:

• Over-inflation of tires
• Under-inflation of tires
• Cargo overload
• Bald or worn down tires
• Damaged or punctured tires
• Damage in the valve stem

Vehicle Lights

Your lights are particularly important when you drive at night but also during different difficult weather conditions, like fog. Headlights are particularly valuable as a road safety element. If headlights are not properly maintained, you can be faced with numerous types of car accidents.

Make sure that headlights work as they should by performing the following maintenance tasks:

• You have to regularly clean your headlights.
• Make sure there are no outages. A single bulb that out means you have to replace the entire set.
• Make sure the high-beams work as they should.
• Always test the turn signal lights and the other indication lights before you go on a trip.

Vehicle Breakdowns When On The Road

We all saw at least one vehicle breakdown on the road when we were driving and many actually experienced it in the bast. It does not matter if you drive safely in this case because vehicle breakdowns can happen without direct input from you.

The golden rule is to follow all the proper safety regulations whenever you have car trouble. If you are on a side road and the vehicle broke down, you need to properly mark the area and make sure you do not put yourself and others in unnecessary danger.

Some of the safety tips to help you to prevent vehicle breakdown-related dangers are:

• Do not tailgate vehicles that move slowly on the road. This is especially important when you notice that the car has some problems.
• Be mindful of road flares, placed safety cones, and reflective distress indicators that are put on the road.
• Always drive slowly when you go past vehicles that are on the side of the road since you never know when someone pops up and you might injure that person.
• When you pass the vehicle that is broken down, move to the farthest lane possible.

When you are the unlucky person that has a broken down vehicle and you are stuck on the side of the road, stay safe by following this advice:

• Use the blinker whenever you start to move to the shoulder of the road and slow down.
• Try to remove the vehicle, as much as possible. This means getting as far out of the way of the driving lane as you can.
• Utilize road flares, safety triangles, and hazard lights so that other drivers are alerted.
• Do not work on the vehicle when on the side of the road in the event that the location is not completely safe. It is better to call a professional with a tow truck than to put yourself in danger.
• If necessary, quickly contact the emergency services.

Conclusions

In conclusion, it is vital that you properly take care of your vehicle. Maintenance is so much more important than what many believe. When you take care of your car and you go through all the mandatory maintenance tasks, you reduce the possibility of having to deal with a breakdown. At the same time, you avoid potentially dangerous situations, like the one in which a tire blowout leads to a very serious accident.

If you do not know what maintenance tasks are mandatory for your vehicle, take the car to a reputable auto mechanic as soon as you can. He/she will tell you what maintenance tasks are needed.