Safety Inspections: Safely Moving Right Along

Bringing your ride in for regular safety inspections not only can extend its life, but it might also extend your own. See how with Groupon’s introduction.

“On average, Americans spend 18 and a half hours a week in their cars,” Anne Lutz Fernandez, co-author of Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives , told radio host Mike Carruthers in 2010. Despite spending almost two months behind the wheel every year, few stop to consider the science behind this miracle of modern engineering—the iron-tough vulcanized tires hugging the road, the pistons moving in perfect precision, and the interconnected systems that keep the multi-ton vehicle moving safely down the highway. Thankfully, more than 350,000 highly trained professionals pour over engines and auto-bodies with a fine-toothed comb, backed by extensive training from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence , which maintains auto industry standards for nearly every form of maintenance, including safety inspections. Many auto shops treat cars to detailed safety checkups, examining lights, tires, belts, engines, hoses, and filters they top off vital fluids and lubricate moving parts to ensure that autos reach their destination without mechanical failure.

As presented in a 2009 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation study, regular safety checkups decree the risk of fatal accidents. Because of the proven public safety benefits, many states have enacted laws that require motorists to have their vehicle inspected by licensed technicians at regular intervals. Though citizens and lawmakers continue to debate whether vehicle inspections should be a personal responsibility or a state mandate, many auto experts agree that when car owners catch defects, leakages, and damages early, it can reduce the need for expensive overhauls or part replacements in the future.