Preventing Car Accidents with Regular Vehicle Maintenance | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

One of the most important things a driver can do in order to help protect themselves from being involved in a car crash is to practice defensive driving habits. There are also other steps that drivers can take to help minimize their risk of crashing. One of the more common causes of car accidents is driving a vehicle that has damaged or worn-out parts. Part of the responsibility of being a vehicle owner is to make sure that your vehicle has routine inspections done and also to address and repair any mechanical issues when they occur. Failure to do so can result in serious injuries to victims from the accidents that often happen.

If your vehicle suddenly has one of its warning lights pop up, no time should be wasted in contacting your mechanic and having the issue repaired. Unfortunately, not all vehicle owners heed these warnings and there are many crashes that occur that could have been avoided if the owner had just had their vehicle repaired. If you have been injured in a crash caused by another driver, contact a North Carolina personal injury attorney. Your attorney will be able to determine what the cause of the crash was, including the owner’s lack of responsible vehicle upkeep.

Important Vehicle Maintenance Tips to Prevent Crashes

When a victim retains the service of a North Carolina car accident attorney, the attorney will investigate the details of the crash in order to determine what were the actions or lack of actions that caused the crash. If mechanical failure is suspected, the investigation can become complicated. The attorney needs to determine if the mechanical failure was a result of the vehicle owner failing to have a known issue repaired, a manufacturing defect in a vehicle part, or due to some kind of error or negligence by the mechanic who had worked on the vehicle.

Anyone who owns a vehicle should pay attention to the following issues:

  • Vehicle warning lights: If any warning lights come up on the vehicle’s dashboard, it is critical for the owner to have the vehicle checked out by a qualified mechanic. Some of the warning lights that indicate a problem include the check engine light, oil warning, ABS warning light, and electrical failure light.
  • Tires: Many vehicles now have a warning light indicating an issue with tire pressure, however, there are still older vehicles on the road that do not have this option, or the light may no longer work. This is why drivers should periodically check the pressure on all the vehicle’s tires. If there is not enough air in tires, one of the tires could go flat while the vehicle is in operation and could cause a crash. All drivers should also periodically check the tread of their tires to make sure there has not been any wearing away. If a tire does not have good tread, the vehicle is at risk of suffering a tire blow-out or loss of vehicle control in bad weather.
  • Windshield wipers: While wipers are such an inexpensive and often overlooked piece of vehicle equipment, they are a very critical one, especially in bad weather driving.

.Contact a North Carolina Injury Attorney

If you have been injured in a crash caused by a driver who was speeding, contact a North Carolina car accident attorney to see what type of financial damages you may be due. You may be entitled to financial compensation for medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, emotional anguish, permanent disability, scarring, and disfigurement.

It is important to remember that North Carolina has a statute of limitation for how long victims have to file a claim for damages against those responsible for their injuries, so do not delay. Failure to file before that legal deadline could mean you lose any chance of ever filing your claim or getting justice against the person responsible for you or your loved one’s injuries.

The legal team from Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp have been advocating for injured clients since 1985 and will do all we can to ensure you receive the best possible outcome under the circumstances of your case. If you would like to meet with one of our skilled North Carolina car accident attorneys to find out how we can help, call us today at (833) 997-1774 for a free case evaluation.

 

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