Are you switched on?
It is utterly frustrating and downright dangerous when motorists don’t switch on their vehicle’s headlights during stormy weather or when daylight starts fading.
Days are getting shorter but workloads are not getting less and neither are the office hours. This forces employees to travel in the dark.
And then, of course, there is the additional stress caused by load-shedding, inoperative traffic lights and more.
Dewald Ranft, chairman of the Motor Industry Workshop Association (MIWA), a proud association of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) has expressed his concern for motorists having to drive in these conditions.
“Many accidents on our roads could be prevented if all vehicles’ lights were working and motorists used their lights correctly,” he says.
It is imperative to ensure that all the lights on your vehicle are working.
“Lights make you visible to other road-users, letting people see what you’re doing, and, of course, light up the road ahead of you. Checking them regularly should be on your to-do list,” says Ranft.
Get someone to assist you with checking your lights.
“Climb into your car and systematically turn on and off the various lights while someone checks from the outside. Start with your main front lights. Turn them on, then to high (bright) and low (dim). Then move on to your indicators. Remember that your indicator lights may be on more than one area of the car, on the sides of the front of the car as well as the side mirrors. Make sure you check all of them. Then move on to the rear of the vehicle,” he says.
Start with the driving lights.
“These are the ones that come on when your headlights are on. Then check the brake lights by pressing the brake pedal and checking if both lights come on. Once again check your indicators on both sides. Lastly check your reverse lights by putting the car into reverse gear. Also check that the light above the number plate turns on.”
Should any of the lights not work, getting an accredited workshop technician to check and replace a faulty globe is easy and quick.
“And please, using your indicators is not optional. It is imperative that you use them timeously before you switch lanes on the highway or to indicate your intention to change direction.”
Source: Cathy Findley PR
