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Driveway vehicle health check

Dec 5, 2023
Road Safety Tips

Got a little spare time this weekend?  Why not take a moment to do a quick driveway vehicle health check on the family car. We put a lot of trust in our cars to get us from place to place but how well do we really know them?

Team up with your favourite parent or sibling (keep that ‘favourite’ bit to yourself – let’s not start a family feud) and get them to help you run a few basic driveway checks to make sure your car’s in tip top safe working order.

Driveway vehicle health check

Check out that body!! Check for chips, nicks and loose bits

  • Take a good look at your windscreen and look for small chips (vibrations on a rough road can cause those tiny cracks to shatter the entire windscreen in a micro-second)
  • While you’re at the windscreen, check to see if your wipers are in good condition (old or damaged rubber on the wipers can be a big problem on a wet day because it will be very hard to see where you are going)
  • Give the whole car a once over to make sure none of your bumpers or skirting have come loose
Driveway vehicle health check

Nice wheels!

  • Check the tread depth indicator on all tyres (don’t know what that is? – well there’s a bit of googling homework to get you started)
  • Do a visual check to make sure the air pressure looks right (you can check that for sure next time you fill up the petrol).  Meanwhile, locate the specs for your car’s recommended PSI so you know where to find them – there’s usually a sticker inside the front door, inside the fuel flap or in the owner’s manual)
  • Check for bald spots or funky wear marks (this can often be a sign that the wheels are out of balance)
Driveway vehicle health check

Shine your light bright!

  • Get your teammate to jump into the driver’s seat and activate the headlights, brake lights and hazard lights while you can walk around the car and make sure they’re all working
Driveway vehicle health check

Buckle Up. It could be a bumpy ride!

  • Take a close look at each seatbelt to make sure the webbing is in good condition
  • Give the seatbelts a sharp tug to make sure they lock and spring back nicely when pulled again
  • Check the buckles to make sure they lock into place

 

Driveway vehicle health check

Give yourself a gold star…. or five.

  • Google the make and model/year of your car and find out what the safety rating is

Here’s a quick overview to show you how easy it is to keep an eye on those importance maintenance issues:

If you’ve got someone who knows what they’re doing as your driveway buddy, get them to show you how to check the important fluids in the car – like oil, water, wiper detergent, etc.

Print out our car health check list so you can tick it off as you go.

 

There’s nothing like a day at the salon so why not give the family car a bit of pampering. Give the car a thorough clean inside and out – the car (and your family) will thank you for it and you’ll feel like you’ve had a great session at the gym!

Here’s a workout routine for washing your car:

  • Summon Mr Miyagi and put some elbow grease into your washing movements with circular motions…. wax on, wax off
  • Take big lunges from side to side as you clean and car
  • Mix in some calf raises (tippy toe work) as you reach for the tough spots on the roof
  • Leg day!!  Get into those squats and give the wheels a shine

Voilà – there’s 135 calories burned in 30 minutes.

Share your car washing gym pics on social media and tag us in.  Bonus points for anyone who washes their car wearing socks and crocs like this guy!!  #RYDAworkout #fashiongoals

 

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As a neurosurgeon I often see the tragic outcome of road crashes that could have been prevented. Broken bodies and broken lives go hand in hand with the choices we make on the road. I have seen it time and time again and it has to stop. Youth road trauma is a major community problem, a huge economic cost and a tragedy for families when it hits ‘home’.

We must be providing our most at risk drivers and their passengers with the best possible road safety education to help them make better choices when on the road. I am pleased to be supporting RSE to help develop a road safety culture that will contribute to reducing deaths and life changing injuries on our roads.

A/Prof Dr Brian Owler
AM, MB BS BSc(Med)(Hons) PhD FRACS Former President of the Australian Medical Association, Vice Patron Road Safety Education Foundation