Regular vehicle inspection is important for every vehicle on the road.

If your vehicle isn’t inspected, there’s no way to be sure that you and everyone else around you are safe while driving. Drivers need to know whether their vehicles are fully functional and able to be on the road, which is why their vehicles are tested in different areas. In case your vehicle fails, you will know why and can have the issue fixed.

Failing to inspect your vehicle could cause issues that may result in severe injuries or fatalities. Following are critical items to inspect:

Seat belts

If a seatbelt fails, the consequences can be serious for everyone in the vehicle. Seatbelts are designed to restrain you and prevent ejection and impact injuries. Without a belt to keep you strapped in, people could be thrown around inside the vehicle from the force of an impact or ejected from the vehicle altogether.

Brakes

If brakes are not in good condition, you take a gamble every time you get out on the road. Faulty brakes drastically increase the chance of a road accident, as well as the likelihood of a driver being held responsible for property damage and another person’s injuries.

Tires

If tires fail, they can cause rollover auto accidents, which can be deadly or cause severe injuries such as concussions, dental and facial injuries, major scrapes and cuts, fractured bones, internal bleeding, and paralysis.

Lights

If lights fail, more accidents happen, especially when nights suddenly get darker sooner in the wintertime. A defective front light can make your vehicle look like a motorcycle from a distance, causing gap misjudgments and increasing the risk of being hit. As for defective brake lights, drivers behind you will have less time to react when the traffic slows.

Windshields and other glass

If windshields or other glass fail, you and other vehicle occupants are exposed to greater risks of sustaining injuries after a collision. An intact windshield helps transfer the force of the impact from the front end to the chassis. It helps protect the passengers and lessens the effect felt inside the vehicle.

Windshield wipers and blades

If windshield wipers and blades fail, you can lose visibility in case of heavy snow, wind, or rain. This can cause you to veer into another vehicle or off the road.

Horn

When you need to warn a pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclist, or another vehicle, the horn is an automatic reaction. If your car horn fails, you won’t be able to sound a loud warning when you need to.

Mirrors

If your mirrors are broken, you won’t be able to see if other vehicles are near you. Before merging into another lane, you should always check your mirrors, which makes them important safety devices.

Fuel leaks

If your fuel leaks, you and other occupants are exposed to fire risk because gas is highly flammable. A spark or a disregarded cigarette is all it takes to start a fire, and this issue should be fixed as soon as possible.

TAKEAWAY 

Vehicle inspections are required by law, but even if they weren’t, conducting them is important for your safety and the safety of others around you in traffic. The Checker offers great vehicle inspection books that can guide you through the process of inspection and help make sure you do it properly.