Memorial Day Weekend is the Time to Get Your Car Ready For Safe Summer Driving
Memorial Day weekend is widely considered to be the unofficial start of the summer season, and guess what, folks? It’s here! Texans don’t really seem to get as excited as other parts of the country because for us, summer means going from hot to hotter, but it is still fun to begin thinking about family vacations, summer camps, cook outs, and road trips.
Because road trips are so popular during the summer months, Memorial Day weekend is also an excellent time to ensure your car is safe to drive. If you do this every year on Memorial Day weekend, you will develop a great habit of inspecting your car and ensuring it is always performing safely on the road. Keeping your car properly maintained is a very underrated aspect of driving safety, because neglected vehicle maintenance causes over 2,600 deaths and almost 100,000 disabled injuries every single year. By performing these few types of maintenance, you’ll be doing your part to keep the roads of Houston a little safer:
- Check your tires. Make sure the tires are not over-inflated, under-inflated, misaligned, or worn down. If you are not sure how to do this, either consult your owner’s manual, or visit your local service shop and let them do it for you.
- Get your oil changed. You should be getting your oil changed every 3,000 miles, but some people like to stretch that a little further. If you’re one of those people, make an appointment to get your oil changed soon.
- Purchase new windshield wipers. Rainstorms can be really powerful in Texas, and you do not want to get stuck driving in a downpour with broken or worn down windshield wipers.
- Get your brakes inspected, if necessary. Take a moment to try out your car’s brakes to see if anything seems a little “off.” Every car feels different when it brakes, so you will know if it doesn’t seem quite right. Be sure to have a professional check them out if you’re even the slightest bit unsure.
You can also just bring your car into your local service shop, ask them for a full inspection and tell them you want to make sure your car is safe and working properly. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!
What kind of car maintenance do you always perform in the summer time? Share your tips in the comments section below.