Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Quick checks for every drive
Preparation is always key when heading out in the car: Here’s five things every driver should check before setting off.
It’s always a good idea to plan ahead when heading out for a drive, and that’s particularly true in the winter months, and when taking longer car journeys. It might seem like a pain to regularly go through these checks, but taking a moment to plan ahead could make a huge difference later in your journey. Though the vast majority of us aren’t travelling as further afield as we might usually do right now, it’s a good idea to brush up on these ‘pre-flight’ checks regardless.
With this in mind, here are five key checks every driver should make before hitting the road…
MIRRORS
If you’re the only person that drives your car, it’s likely your mirrors will only ever need to be moved once. However, checking before you set off that your rear-view and wing mirrors are correctly angled will ensure there’s no danger of you missing something out on the road – you might have moved your seat slightly to get comfortable and found it’s thrown your setup out of line. The rear-view mirror is pretty simple, but the wing mirrors should be angled so that the edge of the car is only just in view.
This will give you the widest field of view to the side and reduce your blind spot.
If you share your car with others, this check is even more vital, because trying to move your mirrors while driving could be very dangerous indeed.
FUEL
When you’re driving home, often the last thing you want is to have to top up with fuel – that’s why it tends to be setting off when your tank is empty. If you pull away in a rush without glancing at the fuel tank levels, you might find yourself merrily pootling down the motorway when the warning light comes on and you have no idea when the next services might be. Quickly checking your range can save a lot of stress down the line.
WASHER FLUID
This is something that’s particularly important during the winter months, when road grit is constantly being kicked up onto your windscreen. You don’t necessarily need to check under the bonnet every time you leave, but a quick squirt will let you know if there’s water in the tank, and if the warning lights come on, be sure to fill up as soon as possible.
TYRES
Tyres are another aspect that it can be frustrating to regularly check, because tread wear happens at a slow pace. However, with your tyres being the only point of contact with the road, their quality is vital. Firstly, check that they are well above the legal tread limit of 1.6mm – if you don’t have a proper tool, you can use a 20p coin to measure by seeing if the band around the edge is visible. Secondly, scan the surface of the rubber for any damage or bulging, because this could indicate that a puncture or blowout is imminent.
LIGHTS AND PLATES
Again, dirty winter roads can cake your car in dirt. While that’s not an issue for many people, it’s worth checking just how filthy your car has become just in case it’s reached illegal levels.
If your headlights and taillights are obscured you could become a danger to others on the road and yourself by reducing your ability to see ahead and others’ ability to see you. Furthermore, an obscured number plate could see you getting in trouble with the police.
Have a quick look around the car and check nothing is obscured, and if it is, at the very least give the most important areas a quick wipe down.
Spectators could be back at sporting events from the middle of May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced. That return comes too late for Gillingham fans, with the League 1 season ending on May 8 – assuming there are no playoff matches involving the Gills – but means spectators could watch Kent in cricket action before the end of May and there should also be a sizeable crowd at Royal St George’s for The Open, which runs from July 15-18.
Setting out his roadmap for the next few months, Mr Johnson confirmed that outdoor sports can resume from March 29 with gyms reopening no earlier than April 12.
It also means the green light for golf and grassroots football to resume from March 29. The roadmap states that ‘organised outdoor sports for adults and under-18s can restart and will not be subject to the gathering limits, but should be compliant with guidance issues by national governing bodies’.
The second phase of the roadmap is no earlier than April 12 but sees indoor leisure facilities such as gyms reopen at the same time as hairdressers. Pubs and restaurants will also open outdoors at this stage. The roadmap confirms ‘gyms and spas’ can reopen but not ‘saunas and steam rooms which are due to open at step 3’. No earlier than May 17, the third stage will sees fans attend sporting venues once again, as pubs and restaurants can open indoors.
Mr Johnson said: “The turnstiles of our sports stadia will once again rotate subject in all cases to capacity limits, depending on the size of the venue.
“We will pilot larger events using enhanced testing with the ambition of further easing of restrictions in the next step.” The finer details on the roadmap state: “Some large events, including conferences, theatre and concert performances and sports events. Controlled indoor events of up to 1,000 people or 50% of a venue’s capacity, whichever is lower, will be permitted, as will outdoor events with a capacity of either 50% or 4,000 people, whichever is lower.
“The Government will also make a special provision for large, outdoor, seated venues where crowds can be safely distributed, allowing up to 10,000 people or 25% of total seated capacity, whichever is lower. In addition, pilots will run as part of the Events Research Programme to examine how such events can take place without the need for social distancing using other mitigations such as testing.” All of the above will still involve social distancing measures but the hope is that no earlier than June 21, at step 4, they can ‘remove all legal limits on social contact’. There will be four reviews carried out by the government, including how long social distancing and facemasks need to remain in place and also one at a safe return to major events.