With Spring just around the corner, we may be experiencing some of those yearly Spring showers that typically come through California around March and April. With a rather dry year so far, you may have put off making sure that your vehicle is ready to drive in the rain. Did you know that dry weather can actually cause your vehicle's windshield wipers to dry out faster and fray more easily? Chances are, you may not have testing your windshield wipers in quite a while - and you may not realize that they aren't working as they should until you need them.
Here are some of our top safety tips for dealing with unexpected rainfall and what you should do to prepare your vehicle for the wet weather:
- Inspect your exterior lights to ensure that they all work properly. This includes headlights, tail lights, brake lights, and blinkers. The rain can decrease visibility on the road, and you want your actions to be seen by other drivers.
- Make sure that your tires are in great condition and perform a tread test. If one or more of your vehicles don't look great or don't have good tread, we recommend replacing them before the rain starts. Driving with bad tires or bald tires in the rain can cause of loss of traction, leading to accidents.
- Inspect your windshield wipers and fluid. If your windshield wipers look frayed, worn, or dry - it's time to replace them. In California, we typically recommend a windshield wiper replacement at least once a year.
- When driving in the rain, reduce your speed and drive safely. This means braking slowly, giving lots of space between you and the cars ahead of you, and switching lanes with caution.
We hope that these tips will be helpful once we start seeing some rainfall here in California. If you need help with your tires, windshield wipers, or are due for a vehicle inspection - the experts here at H B Auto & AC are here to help!