Why You Should Do A Pre-Drive Check

Just imagine in your head for a moment, you're boarding a plane and as you pass the smiling faces of the beautiful flight attendants you happen to peak over into the open cockpit.  You look inside and you see the pilot playing on his phone and enjoying a light comedic banter with his co-pilot.  "Why aren't they doing a pre-flight check?," you wonder.

Shouldn't we have the same kind of reaction when we're getting into our cars and getting ready to drive?  Yes, it is certainly different from going into the air in an aluminum can and if ever there was a problem, there isn't really a shoulder you can pull into.  However, we should be as careful as we would as if we were getting onto a plane; you'd get mad at those pilots for not doing the same thing.

In fact, according to AA1Car, "Mechanical failures are a factor in 12%-13% of all auto accidents..."  Mathematically, that would mean that at 12%, 3 out of every 25 car accidents have mechanical failures as a factor! Mechanical failures include manufacturing defects in the car itself and/or the parts of it and/or lack of care (wear and tear).  Again, imagine you're in a car going 100 km/h on a hot summer day down Lougheed Highway, enjoying the breeze and that song that brings back memories of your mullet is playing then BOOM!  You hear an explosion and suddenly your car hits the ground on the front left side and you feel it starting to veer uncontrollably into the median on your left shoulder.  Sound scary?  Just think how this whole scenario could have been avoided if you just checked your tires before you drove out.  And that's just your tires!

Mechanical failures include the following but are not limited to these:

• Brake failures
• Under-Inflated or Worn Tires
• Worn Steering Linkage
• Worn Ball Joints
• Loose Lug Nuts
• Wheel Bearing Failure
• Defroster Malfunctions
• Severe Rust

Anything listed above in combination with the temperature of the day, the weather outside, road conditions, debris on the road, your driving speed, your driving habits plus many more, could greatly increase your chances of getting into an accident.  We can greatly decrease our chances of an accident if we checked our vehicles regularly and thoroughly.  

If in doubt, seek expert advice and have a car mechanic look over your car.

In case of a serious accident, be sure to call emergency services immediately.  For less serious accidents or generally minor issues but vehicle has failed, call Ridge Meadows Towing anytime 24/7 at 778-765-1119.

For more information, head on over to AA1Car for more on this topic as well as many others.