Appearance Economy Mechanical Safety

Vehicle Prep for Daylight Savings Time:
Inspect Your Vehicle’s Lights So You’re Not Left in the Dark

Proper vehicle lighting will be vital to safety when daylight-savings time ends on October 26. To prepare for fewer hours of daylight and the extra hours of darkness, the Car Care Council encourages motorists to take a few minutes to inspect their vehicles to ensure that all of the lights are working properly.

The Car Care Council recommends checking all vehicle lighting on a monthly basis, including the headlights, turn signals, brake lights, side lights, parking lights, tail lights, backup lights and license plate lights. Whether you do it yourself or visit a professional automotive technician, it is important to repair or replace non-functioning lights immediately. 

Something as simple as a burnt-out brake light could potentially have major consequences. Results of vehicle inspections during National Car Care Month found:

• 8 percent of vehicles inspected needed work on at least one of their turn signals.
• 6 percent of vehicles had problems with at least one of their brake lights.
• 5 percent of vehicles failed their side light inspection.
• 1 percent of vehicles failed the inspection for their headlights, parking lights, tail lights, backup lights and license plate lights.