Photo by Ben Neale on Unsplash
I’m so excited as we are getting our hands on our new (to us!) car today. My husband loves cars and since we’ve had the kids we’ve opted for quite comfy cars, big enough to carry all our stuff. I don’t know about you but we have a lot of stuff. Our house is full, the sheds are full and stuff overflows to the car. Luckily my husband had a secret floor of the boot where we kept all our car essentials. When we emptied the old car to sell it, out came the kites, the picnic blankets, I-Spy books, frisbees and everything else we’d forgotten about 🙂
Photo by Mark Jefferson Paraan on Unsplash
My poor husband has to help me look after my car as well as his own. I’m a reluctant driver but with school and clubs starting up soon I know that mum’s taxi will be back on the road. My car isn’t so clever as my husband’s. His warns about anything and everything, but mine still needs manual checks. It’s really important to make sure your car is road worthy so there are a number of things I mentally tick off every couple of weeks. Yep, I have my very own car safety checklist:
1. The most important car safety check is tyre pressure. Did you know that keeping your tyres at their optimum pressure means your running costs are reduced? It helps save on fuel and stops tyres from wearing out unevenly. Places such as Kwik Fit have some really useful advice on looking after your tyres.
2. My current car beeps at me if the fuel level falls to a certain level. It scares the life out of me every time it comes on! However it’s a useful reminder to check you have enough fuel for your journey. Luckily I’ve never run out of fuel, I can imagine it would be a bit embarrassing!
3. Check your lights are working. I can’t believe I’m having to think about this already but the nights really are drawing in. It only seems like yesterday that we were sitting out in the garden enjoying a drink when the kids were in bed. Now we’re pretty much closing the back doors and putting on the lights when the kids go to bed. As our evening activities start up again it’s important that all your lights are working.
4. Do a quick check of your screen wash, water level and engine oil.
5. Mirrors! We once lived on the busiest London street. It was a bit of a rat run and our mirrors were constantly getting pushed in or even broken. I rely on my side mirrors a lot so it’s important they are in one piece.
Of course nothing replaces your annual MOT but it’s important to do have a simple car safety checklist to ensure your car is safe to drive and you and the kids will be safe. Just look for the #carsafetychecklist on social to see more. Further, if your kids are looking to start driving soon, then I definitely recommend getting a check up from a mechanic and driving lessons from Ezlicence UK.
I can’t wait to have some new adventures in our new family car. Thankfully we’re escaping for the Bank Holiday weekend. Our iPads are loaded for the journey, bags are packed. Now we just need some sunshine!
I am absolutely useless with cars so this very useful. Will definitely keeping hold of for future reference.
That fuel beeper sounds like a really good idea actually! These are all really good tips x