Can you see where you’re going?

Being able to see the road doesn’t depend solely on your eyesight – there are many aspects of your vehicle that impact your visibility. Naturally, being able to see clearly while driving is imperative to safe driving, but many of the features and parts of your vehicle that ensure proper visibility are parts that we ignore when it comes to regular, preventative maintenance.

Here are some simple maintenance tips to make sure that your car compliments rather than detracts from your 20/20:

* Your windshield wipers play a key role in visibility by clearing precipitation, salt, dust, and other foreign bodies from your windshield. If they are cracked or torn, they won’t do you much good, particularly in bad weather, so be sure to replace them. And while you’re at it, make sure to top up your windshield washer fluid so that you can wash away any pesky bugs that may perish in your line of sight

* Your vehicle’s exterior lighting system provides nighttime visibility, enhanced clarity in poor weather conditions, and signals and alerts to other drivers, all of which makes it extremely important to your vehicle’s overall safety. But overtime, your lights may dim or burn out completely and the plastic will degrade and cloud in your light covers, leading to distorted and dimmed illumination. Be sure to replace both your bulbs and light covers to maintain high quality lighting.

* Your vehicle’s interior lighting system supplies light for viewing instruments in your vehicle’s interior at night. When driving, any use of controls must be done quickly and efficiently so as not to distract you from the road. By ensuring that your interior lighting system is in good shape and is illuminating all the instruments that it should, you will be able to use your vehicles interior controls without fumbling around and risking significant distraction.

* Extreme weather conditions and foreign objects, such as rocks, can lead to cracks and other damage to your windshield. And not only do these flaws diminish the integrity of your windshield, they can impair your visibility. If your windshield is cracked, bring it in to have it replaced or repaired right away to mitigate further damage and avoid loss of visibility.

Being able to see where you’re going is vital to your safety on the road as it allows you to judge your spatial orientation in relation to other vehicles and objects and assess the road for hazards. Evidently, you can’t avoid what you can’t see, whether it’s debris, pedestrians, cyclists, other vehicles, or animals, so maintaining optimal visibility by properly maintaining your vehicle is essential.

For these and other vehicle maintenance tips to keep you safe on the road this summer, visit www.BeCarCareAware.ca.