Almost every day in Nigeria, the media
is awash with stories of road accidents leading to deaths of many or
sometimes inflict temporary/ permanent injuries on car occupants.
Autofactorng, an e-commerce retail company into sales of auto-parts has
highlighted 5 silent killers car owners take for granted.
1. Defective windshield wipers
Windshield wipers would probably not be
the first thing that comes to your mind when talking about causes of
road accident. Windshield wipers are essential to the safety of any
driver, and when they are not working properly, accidents are more
likely to occur. In a situation of a heavy downpour of rain and a car
with a defective windshield wipers will cause one to lose visibility
quite fast, and car accidents can result easily.
2. Worn out shocks
The major function of a shock absorber
is to prevent excessive spring movement and in so doing keep the car’s
tyres in contact with the road enabling you to keep control of it.
Because of this it is a safety critical item, but most people ignore it.
Because shocks are generally unseen items and they wear down so slowly
that drivers grow accustomed to the ride and amend their style of
driving to compensate for it. Not only are worn shocks life threatening,
they can also cause costly repairs and maintenance on your vehicles.
3. Bad brakes
Brake pads and shoes are wear items and
have a limited service life. The more you drive and use your brakes, the
more the brake linings wear. Eventually, they wear down to the point
where they have to be replaced. The hydraulic and mechanical components
in your brake system also have a limited service life. Over time, rubber
seals and hoses can deteriorate and leak. Metal components can rust and
corrode. If your brake system develops a leak, it may cause the brakes
to fail because of loss of hydraulic pressure when you apply the brakes.
4. Bad & expired tyres
The condition of the tyres should be
inspected regularly. Look for unusual or uneven wear, bulges or wrinkles
in the tire sidewalls, cracks in the tread that may indicate tread
separation, or loss of air pressure. Over- or under-inflated tires can
cause trouble for motorists, which could end up resulting in an accident
if ignored. Also, using an expired tyre can be fatal – as the rubber
ages, it perishes (dries out), and becomes weaker and brittle. At speed,
it heats up and the pressure increases (as the air inside also heats
up). This can lead to a blowout
5. Poor Vehicle Maintenance/Driver Negligence
It is the sole responsibility of the
driver and car owner that the vehicle being driven is safe and
roadworthy on the road. A quick walk around on cars by drivers before
each and every drive is important not only as a good practice but
sometimes save lives. A knowledge of those components which may affect
road safety when broken down or deteriorated will be a benefit for
drivers to enhance the confidence in driving.
- Written by Korede Ogunseinde, an automobile blogger @autofactorng
0 comments:
Post a Comment