Being able to go to our vehicle, put our key in the ignition and drive off to whatever destination suits us is a luxury that we seldom consider.
I would dare say that for many of us the only time that we really consider our vehicle is when it fails us. Just for fun, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a professional driver and apply the mandatory daily pre-trip inspection to our personal vehicle.
At minimum you must check all brakes, steering, lights and reflectors, tires, windshield wipers, mirrors, wheels and rims, coupling devices, load security and emergency equipment.
It doesn’t take long to do, but you must have sufficient knowledge of your vehicle to be able to do it correctly. If you don’t, you must learn or find someone with the skill to do it for you. Many automobile repair businesses offer free safety checks. Watch their advertising and consider taking advantage of this on at least an annual basis.
Oh, did I mention that when you park your vehicle for the day you need to do all of this again? While we are lucky to not have to do this by law, it is up to us to insure that our vehicle does meet basic mechanical fitness and that will require more than turning the key and heading out each day.
Tim Schewe is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement. To comment or learn more, please visit DriveSmartBC.ca