By Filum Ho, CEO of Autoboys
The December Festive Season is upon us again and it’s that time of year when thousands of South Africans will hit the roads, on-route to their holiday destinations.
While it’s a time of great festivities, it’s also an incredibly dangerous period on our roads. The road death toll during 2018/19 festive season was 1612. For the 2017/18 festive season, this figure was 1 527.
Authorities and citizens will be hoping for a safer period this festive season and there’s no doubt that we’ll once again hear messages about dangers around drinking and driving, as well as speeding. These are very serious risks, but there are further key measures that drivers must take in order to ensure a safer trip.
This includes looking at particular aspects of a car that are critical to safe driving, such as the state of windscreens and elements in contact with the road – like suspension, steering and brakes.
Listed below is some advice from us at Autoboys about what you need to be aware of to ensure a safer trip this December.
Auto glass
The likes of Arrive Alive recognises that a car’s windscreen is an “important component in vehicle safety”.
Over time, small stones or cracks may have occurred along the surface of your windscreen.
A cracked windscreen is not only a hindrance to your ability to see what’s going on around you, but it can also become a danger to you during front-end collisions or rollovers. This is because a windshield forms part of the structure that holds your car together.
In addition, your windscreen is critical to providing support to your airbag. So, make sure that your windscreen is in top shape.
Suspension
The suspension on a vehicle relates to shock absorbers, and when these are worn, your tyres can start bouncing along the road while driving.
When a wheel is bouncing, there’s no positive contact to the road surface. As a result, your braking and stability are affected, especially in wet weather conditions and during emergency stops.
The risk here is that your vehicle may go into an uncontrollable slide.
Control arms, lateral links
Any issues with your car’s control arms or lateral links will mean that you don’t have adequate control.
This can be especially dangerous when it comes to harsh braking in wet conditions or where there is lots of sand or pebbles.
It’s critical to ensure that these are in full working condition – at Autoboys, we can assist you with this if you need advice.
Braking system and tyres
Lastly, it’s imperative that your car is able to stay on the road surface with tyres that are in good condition and a fully functioning braking system.
When it comes to tyres, check that your tread is the right depth – the law states this needs to be at least 1.6mm. Also, be sure to check for any radial cracks as these could cause blowouts while driving.
Further to this, make sure you have a fully functioning braking system that includes sufficient brake pad thickness, and brake discs that are not adversely worn. This latter issue, in particular, can cause brake fade which is when the brakes overheat so much that they become ineffective.
Tying it all together
Autoboys – which has outlets across South Africa and works with over 290 insurance partners – can assist you with replacement parts for most of these elements above, from the likes of glass and windscreens to that of shock absorbers, steering racks as well as brake discs and brake pads.
If you take care of these key aspects on your vehicle, then you can substantially reduce your risk on the roads over this holiday period.
- Filum Ho is the CEO of South African auto parts and glass specialists Autoboys. Born in Taiwan but now living in South Africa, Filum transitioned from a top career in investment banking at the likes of Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch to shaking up SA’s auto parts and glass markets. In 2017, African Rainbow Capital (ARC) acquired a 51% stake in Autoboys, making it SA’s first black-owned national glass and collision parts provider. Autoboys is rated at a BBBEE Level 1. Filum is also the Vice Chairman of Right to Repair SA (R2RSA).