There are three main categories that can cause car accidents: environmental, human and mechanical problems. This blog post will talk about the 3 most common mechanical problems which can cause car accidents in Edmonton.
According to a study, vehicle flaws, are “causal, possibly causal or contributory” in at least 12% of all crashes. This percentage only increases when it comes to older and heavier vehicles. The percentage does not seem high, but no one wants to be in an accident. It is important to constantly check on your car to make sure that accidents do not occur. According to some research, about 25% of car crash damaged vehicles which presented defects were related to lights, brakes, and tires.
Light on the lights?
In Edmonton, we see more of the night sky because of our longer winters. As such, it is important that our vehicles are well-equipped with working headlights and taillights so we can see better. Not only will the headlights help you see other vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles, headlights and taillights will help other cars see you better and prevent any rear-end or sideswipe collisions. In order to not be left in the dark, it is important to make sure that your lights are working before you drive your vehicle.
Brakes can, and will, BREAK!
As scary as it is to be unable to see the danger, it is also as scary to see it and not be able to brake and avoid it.
One of the more common failures is when your brakes are wearing out. Typically, when brake pads are worn to the point of needing replacement, you can hear a screeching noise when you press on the brakes. This is because the brake pads have worn down to their metal backing plates and are pressing against the steel brake discs of your car. If this is not dealt with in a timely manner, your brakes may end up not slowing down the vehicle or your brake system will fail entirely since the brake discs may be destroyed in the process. To prevent this issue, it is a good practice to have your car’s braking system checked often.
Tired out tires…
With tires, the most common reasons they fail and cause car accidents is if there is a tire blowout or the tires are worn out.
Tire Blowout: A blowout is described as a bursting tire followed by a quick loss of air pressure. According to some research, it is usually the result of overloading the vehicle, if the tire hits something hard, there is a long cut on the tire which leads to fast air loss, or a hole in the tire which eventually causes the tire to fail. In order to manage this problem, it is important to regularly check your tires for any holes/punctures and check the tire pressure (with a tire pressure gauge).
Worn Out Tires: As tires are driven, the tread on the outside continues to wear down. This can cause the tires to slip more easily and become less responsive to your control as you drive. To prevent this from happening, drivers should always track their tire’s tread depth. Tires should be changed when the tread depth reaches 4/32” in the winter or 2/32” in the summer. In order to track this, one can invest in tire tread depth gauges that can be bought online or at local auto parts stores.
It is important to understand that this list is not complete since vehicles are complicated and made of many parts. However, knowing these little tips and tricks for inspecting your vehicle can prevent others, yourself, and your loved ones from being a victim of a vehicle accident.
We wish every one safe travels and please make sure you winterize your vehicles. Take your time getting to your destination and remind yourself that winter driving is very different than summer driving.
The information provided on this website does not constitute legal advice and should not be construed as such. Moustarah & Company does not guarantee that this information is accurate or up to date. As a result, should you require legal advice, please contact a lawyer.
Contact Us