These Three Safety Checks Are Essential To Avoiding A New Haven Auto Accident

You may take driving your car for granted and think that it will just be there for you to get to and from places safely without a whole lot of intervention from you. The truth is that your vehicle requires care and attention year round to make sure it is safe and you will not get into a New Haven auto accident when you are driving around in it. If you don’t maintain certain elements of your vehicle you may be putting yourself and your passengers at risk of being injured.

Taking care of your vehicle at certain times of the year makes a lot of sense because with the change of seasons comes issues that might arise due to changes in weather conditions or temperatures. You may want to perform a safety check going into winter for instance as the temperatures and road conditions change frequently. This is an annual check that you should perform sometime between November and December, but it should not replace the safety checks that you should perform regularly throughout the year.

In total you should set yourself a reminder to perform the safety checks on your vehicle once every six weeks or so to make sure your car or truck is safe to drive. While performing these checks regularly may seem tedious and unnecessary if they catch just one issue that could lead to you getting into an accident it will be worth it. On top of that, these checks we’re talking about are really quite quick and can result in peace of mind for you as you drive your car around town knowing that you already investigated the safety of the car or truck.

It may be hard to remember to check up on your vehicle once every six weeks as we all have a lot going on in our lives, so it may make sense to perform these safety checks as part of a routine that you should develop around safety checks throughout your life like smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors so that when you’re performing those safety checks it is a reminder to do a once over on your vehicle to make sure you stay safe.

The checks you should perform on your car/truck should include the following;

1.) Your tires. Tires are one of the most important things you can keep in good condition on your vehicle. Often overlooked and taken for granted, tires which are worn down and have no tread remaining can be the culprit in a series of accidents. Another thing you will want to check when looking at your tires on your car or truck is the air pressure. Making sure your tires are consistently inflated to the manufacturer suggested PSI (pounds per square inch) is one thing you can do to make sure your vehicle is as safe as possible.

2.) Your brakes. If you are not a trained mechanic it may be difficult to identify issues with your brakes, but one thing you can do is listen for unusual noises that are coming from your car when you brake. If you hear squealing or grinding or any other sound that is unusual you may need to have your brakes seen by a mechanic who can address the situation. Keep in mind that “inspecting” your brakes for unusual noises will require that you turn the volume of your music or podcast down so you can hear how your vehicle sounds while you’re driving it.

3.) Your lights. This is an easy one to check and one of the best things you can do to avoid an accident. You may need a partner to do this well so enlist someone around your house for five minutes so they can watch the lights while you operate them in your car. You will want to make sure you test out your turn signals, your brakes, your headlights and your tail lights. Have the person you are partnering with tell you which set of lights they are looking at and then you should engage those lights to make sure they are working. If you notice that one of the lights is not working you should immediately replace the bulb to have a full set of working lights on your car.

While there are plenty of mechanical things you can look at and test regularly on your vehicle, the three above, if not maintained properly may become the biggest culprits in reducing your safety and causing you to get into a New Haven auto accident. Once you get into the habit of performing these safety checks regularly you may want to add windshield wipers and fluids to your list of checkups so you can be extra sure that your vehicle is functioning in tip top shape and you can feel confident when you get behind the wheel that it is safe to drive your vehicle.

If you do wind up getting into an accident that causes you injury or personal property damage you may need to speak with an experienced attorney. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.