Car Maintenance Tips to Avoid Accidents

Following car maintenance tips can help you avoid accidents while on the road. The last thing any driver wants is to find that their car has a problem while they’re driving.

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Roads on The Sunshine Coast, and Brisbane Centra in Queensland, tend to get extremely busy around year-end, as the summer and Christmas bring in boatloads of tourists. More cars mean more accidents.

A poorly maintained car can bring about liability in a car accident claim, which could affect your legal standing. You’ll want to ensure that your vehicle is in tip-top condition to avoid accidents and make your legal claim solid. 
As WT Compensation Lawyers, we’ve compiled a list of car maintenance tips to keep you safe while on Brisbane roads.

8 Essential Car Maintenance Tips to Prevent Accidents 

Here are 8 vital car maintenance tips that will help keep your car in the best possible condition: 

1. Change Oil Regularly 

It’s commonly accepted that changing your car’s oil regularly will improve the performance of the engine. Mechanics recommend changing your oil every 10,000 kilometres. 

Clean oil will keep all engine components properly lubricated and help the engine run smoothly. 

2. Keep an Eye on Fluids Under the Hood 

Aside from oil, other engine fluids like coolants, power steering, brake, and transmission fluids all need to be regularly checked. These fluids all play an important role in keeping your vehicle performing at an optimum level. 

The graphic below indicates the various fluids found under your hood:

Indicators for Car Fluids That Need To Be Changed - Car Maintenance Tips to Avoid Car Accidents

3. Check Your Tires 

Keeping your tires in good condition is a necessity, especially when driving in extreme weather conditions. Australia, and Brisbane in particular, experiences extreme summer heat, which can play a role in the degradation of your tires. 

Poorly maintained tires can cause accidents on the roads, like spinouts, caused by poor grip and improper turning. Here are a few ways to maintain your tires: 

  • Check tire pressure: driving with below the ideal tire pressure increases fuel consumption and quickly wears down tire tread. Most vehicles present their ideal tire pressure inside the fuel cap door. 
  • Check tire tread: if you notice that your tire tread is wearing thin, plan a replacement ASAP. Thin tire tread can be extremely dangerous as it reduces grip, which can easily cause a road accident.
  • Check for signs of damage: look for any cuts, tears, or bulges on your tires. If you notice any signs of damage, it’s best to have your tires replaced immediately. 
  • Have your tires rotated: regular tire rotation is necessary for well aligned wheels. Unaligned wheels can lead to tire tread wear and tear, along with increased fuel consumption. Car technicians recommend rotating your tires every 10 000 kilometres. 

When it comes to tire pressure, you’ll simply need to know the recommended PSI. However, if you’re interested in learning what all the codes on your tires mean, this graphic and description should give you a more comprehensive idea: 

Identifying your Car;s Tire Codes - Car Maintenance Tips to Prevent Car Accidents
  • Vehicle type: At the start of the tire code, you’ll see a letter. This letter indicates the type of vehicle the tire was made for. For instance, a “P” means that the vehicle is a passenger type. 
  • Width/aspect: Next on the code is the width of the tyre in millimetres. 
  • Ratio: Following the width is the aspect ratio. This refers to the height of the tire from the base to the start of the rim. The aspect ratio indicates the percentage of tread width. Tires with lower aspect ratios are often referred to as ‘low profile’ tires. 
  • Tire construction method: The next letter on the code refers to the construction method used for the tire. An “R” refers to a radial tire construction method, while a “B” refers to a bias construction method. 
  • Rim diameter: next is an indication of the diameter of the wheel rim in inches. 
  • Load index: a load refers to the maximum load capacity that the tires can be placed under. In other words, how much carrying capacity the tires have. Placing tires under a heavier load than they can carry will cause serious damage to your wheels. 

Speed symbol: Lastly, the tire code tells you the maximum speed that the tires can handle. The speed symbol is the last letter represented on the tire pressure code. Here is an overview of the different speed symbols, and how fast you can drive with each:

Speed SymbolTop Speed (km/h)
P150
Q160
R170
S180
T190
U200
H210
V240
W270
Y300

If you’re involved in an accident, and your tires are in terrible condition, you may be judged as negligent, which could affect your compensation claim. 

4. Check Your Brakes

Your braking system should be regularly checked for worn brake pads, fluid leaks, and other potential issues. Brake failure is one of the main causes of road accidents around the world. 

Once again, poorly maintained brakes can affect your legal standing when claiming compensation for a road accident in Australia. 

5. Replace and Clean Your Headlights 

Headlights are often encased in a film installed by car manufacturers. 

The UV rays produced by headlights will damage this film over time. If you feel like your headlights are producing less and less light, it may be time to clean/replace the film surrounding the bulbs. 

6. Inspect Your Windshield Wipers and Clean the Windshield 

Your windshield is your window to road visibility. As such, you’ll want to ensure that it is properly cleaned and that your windshield wipers are in the best possible condition. 

Regularly clean your windshield on the interior and exterior of the car. Check your wiper blades for any signs of stiffness or worn-out rubber.

7. Clean Your Battery 

Your car battery is the heart of your vehicle. Corrosion tends to build quickly on car batteries that experience excessive heat. This makes the Australian climate ripe for corroded car batteries. 

Corrosion on your car battery can lead to starting problems, along with poor engine performance. Grab a toothbrush and some baking soda to start cleaning corrosion from your battery terminals. 

8. Take Your Car for Regular Maintenance and Checkups 

Lastly, to prevent car issues from building up over time, you must visit your mechanic regularly, for routine maintenance and checkups. 

An expert car technician will be able to identify problems that would otherwise go unnoticed. They will also be able to fix any issues that could lead to accidents on the road.

Even if at fault, you may have a right to compensation. Start your claims check:

🔒 FREE CLAIMS CHECK TAKES 2 MINUTES

Now that you understand how to maintain and keep your car in great condition, let’s go through a few important FAQs. 

2 FAQs on Car Maintenance Tips for Accident Prevention 

Let’s look at three commonly asked questions about car maintenance and road accidents in Brisbane, Australia: 

In Australia, every driver has a duty of care towards all other road users. When this duty is breached, a legal compensation claim could be eradicated. 

The law requires that negligence be established for a breach of duty to occur. Poor car maintenance could create a direct link of negligence to the accident that has occurred. 

For example, when a driver has improperly maintained brakes, and they are involved in a road accident, other claimants may declare negligence. 

This is why it is so important to keep your car in the best possible condition when on the roads. 

If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Brisbane, we strongly recommend contacting experienced car accident lawyers in Brisbane, such as WT Compensation Lawyers. 

2. Does the Weather in Brisbane Affect Car Maintenance and Road Safety 

Excessive heat can cause a multitude of car maintenance issues. As discussed above, extremely hot weather conditions can cause engine overheating, tire wear and degradation, and corrosion on battery terminals. 

Brisbane is one of the hottest cities in Australia, all year round, as shown in this graph:

Hypothetical Weather Data For Australian Cities - Temperature In Australian Cities All Year Round
Hypothetical Weather Data For Australian Cities - Temperature In Australian Cities All Year Round_mobi

So, when you’re driving in Brisbane, you can be guided by our car maintenance tips above, to avoid accidents. 

WT Compensation Lawyers Will Assist With Car Accident Claims

So, after going through some key car maintenance tips, and discussing the legal link between negligence and a compensation claim, it is essential that you contact compensation lawyers to help you with your road accident claims. 

Here at WT Compensation Lawyers, we pride ourselves on being experts in the field of road accident claims. We offer free case reviews along with a “no win – no fee” policy. 

Contact WT Compensation Lawyers today to claim your road accident compensation in a timely and professional manner!

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WT Compensation Lawyers advises that you do not take unsolicited advice on car accident compensation if you are contacted by phone, email or on social media after a car accident. Queenslanders have been contacted by car crash scammers who the MAIC warns have contacted people to trick them into sharing personal information. This information is then sold by the car crash scammer to law firms. You should never be pressured into bringing a compensation claim and our law firm always ensures that you are in control of decision-making about your case.

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