Driving Safety Tips: Choosing a Safe Car

You or your trusted mechanic need to consider driving safety tips when choosing a safe car to drive. There are several things to inspect and think about to determine if the car will be safe enough for you and your family.

1. Make sure the car has air bags.
2. Look for evenly worn tires that are properly inflated. Check for bald spots.
3. Ensure that all lights and signals, heater, AC, defogger and wipers are in good working order.
4. While driving test the brakes. Listen for unusual noises or rattling.
5. While driving, check the bounce factor to see if the shocks are working.
6. Make sure all seat belts are in place and working properly.
7. Look for rust, paint peeling or oxidizing on the outside.
8. Make sure that the battery is working and charging correctly.
9. Verify that the engine starts easily, idles without noise, accelerates and changes gears easily.
10. Confirm that all doors and windows are working and that the mirrors are in place and easy to adjust. 
11. Check the spare and tire tool.
12. See if the instrument panel light works and the panel is easy to read.
13. When driving listen for noises; check pulling and vibration. Check for unusual odors or the smell of smoke or oil.
14. Check out the seats and head restraints; verify that they can be easily adjusted.
15. Make sure that the vehicle is easy to enter and exit, and comfortable to sit in.