The ember months are here. They are months of festivities. But much as it is a period of celebration, it is sadly always punctuated by tragic road accidents that claim countless lives.
The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC estimates that about 13 people die daily by tragic road accidents on Nigerian roads.
But some stakeholders dispute this, arguing that more than 36,000 lives are lost annually to road accidents.
Whatever the figures may be, zero-casualty is what the citizens desire and should be the ultimate goals of the authorities.
There are several factors that result to carnage on our roads, but the major causes include poor state of vehicles and poor state of mind of drivers.
As Christmas approaches, many Nigerians would be traveling long distances to their hometowns to celebrate with their loved ones.
But if you are planning to make the trip with your own car, do bear in mind that a long trip is a serious test for your car and even a slight problem such as a worn windscreen wiper or out-of-balance tire can cause a lot of troubles.
To make sure your ride is in perfect condition to withstand the stress of long trips, the surest way would be to conduct full and thorough inspection on your vehicle through an expert such as Cars45.com while preparing to make the trip.
Here are 3 key areas to focus on during your inspection as enumerated by David Fajobi who is the Head of Inspection at Cars45.com.
1. Suspension: The suspension of a vehicle is the system of tires, tire air, springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two.
“It is important to get your mechanic to check your tyres properly, to ensure proper alignment and balanced wheel,†said Fajobi.
“This is because some cars have substantial risk of flipping over at top speed and poor alignment could make this inevitable especially during a long trip,†Fajobi added.
2. Ignition System: The ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature that makes it possible for your vehicle engine to get started. Most of the time, the ignition of your car begins to show a problem when the ignition coil develops fault.
“The ignition coil takes power from the generator and relays it to the spark plugs. This ignites the fuel and makes your vehicle run. If it is faulty, it could make your car to backfire and could also cause overfloating which could end up damaging your car’s brainbox,†said Fajobi.
So, it is very key to get your mechanic to certify your ignition before making that long trip.
3. General Lubrication Service: This is what you already do perhaps every two or three months, depending on the distance your car regularly travels or what the manufacturer recommends.
If you are preparing for a long trip, it is highly advisable to change your vehicle’s oil. There are several of them including transmission oil, brake oil, engine oil etc and it is important to have them changed before a long trip.
“This is because oil also breaks down, deteriorates and gums up and become less efficient at providing good lubrication and protection for your engine,†noted Fajobi.
How often you change the oil has been debated for ages but to be on the safe side, a change of oil before a long trip becomes imperative.
