Road Safety Week: Six Car Checks Worth Five Minutes
Marking Road Safety Week, Central Autopoint in Corby shares six quick driveway checks that take five minutes and could prevent a breakdown or worse.
Six checks, five minutes, no tools required beyond a torch and a bit of daylight. That's the short answer if you're wondering where to start with basic car maintenance this week.
Road Safety Week has just been marked locally, with North Northamptonshire Council's road safety team running an interactive session at Creating Tomorrow College in Kettering. Fifteen students took part in a session tailored to their diverse needs, including those with learning difficulties or who are deaf or hard of hearing, with a staff member signing throughout. The training included a reaction-time exercise using "beer goggles" to simulate impairment, showing how much reaction times can slow down. It's a good prompt for the rest of us to check our cars are pulling their weight too.
The six checks
1. Tyre tread and pressure
Push a 20p coin into the main grooves. If the outer rim is covered, tread is likely too low. Check pressures cold against the figures on the door sill sticker, not the tyre wall.
2. Lights, all of them
Walk round with the engine running: headlights, sidelights, indicators, brake lights and the number plate light. A cracked or fogged lens is worth a look too.
3. Oil level
Check when the engine is cold using the dipstick. Low oil left unchecked can cause serious engine wear over time.
4. Screen wash and coolant
Top up washer fluid so you're never caught out mid-journey with a dirty windscreen, and check coolant is between the min and max marks when the engine is cool.
5. Wipers and screen
Smearing, judder or a split rubber blade all mean reduced visibility exactly when you need it most.
6. Battery and electrics
Look for corrosion on the terminals and make sure connections are secure. A battery struggling to turn the engine over is often the first sign of trouble ahead of colder months.
These line up closely with the checks fire crews recommend under their weekly FLOWER routine, and the same logic applies whether it's for a daily school run or a long motorway trip.
When it's more than five minutes
Some things, like brake feel, dashboard warning lights or unusual noises, need proper inspection rather than a driveway glance. If any of the six checks throw up something you're unsure about, Central Autopoint offers free car safety checks, alongside tyre, lighting and brake work at our Maylan Road garage in Corby. Pop in or give us a call on 01536 261619 if you'd rather have someone else run through the list.
Prepared as locally relevant editorial content for human review before publication on the garage website.