posted by Catherine on Feb 1
Use the MOT test requirements to check your car’s road worthiness for your vacation!
The annual MOT car test for cars covers a whole list of things to check that make your car safe to be on the road. So you can use this before heading off on a long journey like a vacation to make sure that you and your family will be safe.
Obviously, there are parts of the MOT that are not something you can check – like you cars emissions – but that isn’t a safety feature anyway…….
So here is a quick checklist of things to do or look out for on your car before heading away from home (and away from car mechanics, garages and motor stores!):
Seat Belts:
Make sure that all seat belts fit securely into their holders even if you are not planning to use them – as you may need them at some point! Make sure that when sharply pulled they jam up as they should. And all seats should be able to be secured in the upright condition to allow the seat belts to work properly.
Mirrors:
All the mirrors in your car are clean and not cracked. It is not illegal in the UK to drive with a damaged or missing passenger mirror, but obviously inhibits your ability to drive as normal, and could cause you to look behind you when driving to check for other cars.
Boot & Bonnet:
Both of these need to be able to close securely as do all the doors on the vehicle – which also need to open freely as well for exiting the vehicle safely.
Lights:
Check that all your lights are working either with a friend watching in the evening, or by reversing close to a window or mirror in the dark to see that everything is in order. If someone can’t see you are braking or want to turn left or right, they could come right into the back of you!
Windscreen:
Obviously there needs to be nothing on this that restricts your view forward and the windscreen wipers need to clean the entire windscreen and the washer fluid must exit freely. Obviously, a large crack in the windscreen on the drivers side is very dangerous – and that a small crack left untreated could cause the entire pane to crack at any time!
Tyres & Steering:
Your tyres have a minimum tread allowed before they are illegal and too little tread will mean that they will not grip the road safely, especially in difficult weather. So make sure that they are fully inflated as per your guide book and that they have ample tread depth.
If tyres are not properly inflated they will make steering a little bit harder and will also damage the tyre itself and the frame itself. Steering can also be a problem if there is too much ‘pull’ to one side or the other when driving at speed, so make sure this is all checked before you head off on the motorways.
Brakes:
It goes without saying that your brakes need to be responsive to touch otherwise your vacation could be cut very short indeed – so judge for yourself if they could do with being checked before you head off – as a car loaded up with people and belongings can take a lot longer to stop at speed than and empty one!
And finally…..
Recovery Services:
Ideally before you set out on a long journey or if you drive regularly, you should make sure that you a a member of a roadside and recovery company. That way if anything you can’t check for above goes wrong – someone will be at hand to help fix it or to take you to a garage that can!
Leave a Reply