Why is the cleanliness of your car important?

It may not seem obvious but there are a range of factors that will affect your car’s safety and its longevity, and one of the most important is how you maintain it. Most drivers are aware of the importance of regular servicing. Having your car serviced regularly ensures that any problems are dealt with early, before they can become something major. But some people are less aware that the cleanliness of your car is also important.

Cleanliness and your car

There are two areas where cleanliness is important and the reasons are related but also slightly different. The exterior of your car needs to be kept reasonably clean. Reasons for this include:

• Maintaining clean paintwork, or ‘duco’, can help stop corrosion
• Corrosion can lead to rust which not only compromises the body work, but is also illegal
• A dirty car may also have less visibility on the road which can be unsafe
• If the windows are dirty this will compromise visibility, which is also unsafe
• It may attract unwanted attention from the Police
• It is the job of the Police to make sure that unsafe cars are not on the road, and if your car’s windows are especially dirty, it is clearly unsafe

The other area which needs to be well maintained in the interior. A great many motorists fail to understand why this is so important and their cars are full of clutter and rubbish. A clean interior is important for the following reasons:

• If you have to brake suddenly, any loose material in the cabin can move around
• Moving objects in car interiors are a major cause of road trauma
• Even a relatively small and ‘innocent’ object can become fatal at speed
• Whatever speed you are travelling at when you brake, will be the speed of the object when it hits you
• Clutter can also prove distracting to a driver, which is also unsafe
• Objects on the dashboard, or hanging from the rear view, can distract a driver significantly
• Rubbish on the floor can get in the way of operating pedals and in a extreme driving situation can cause an accident
• If the interior of the window is not kept clean this is also a safety hazard
• Dirt and gravel on the floor of the cabin may also cause your foot to slip when activating a pedal

In short both the inside and exterior of your car should be clean.

Keeping your car clean

It is worth cleaning your car regularly. Not only will this help ensure the longevity of its paintwork, but it is safer.  Many motorists treat their car as a kind of mobile living room and this is not safe or fair on other motorists. You should never forget that you are moving at speeds that can be as high as 110 km/h in some instances and if you have to brake or steer in an extreme situation you have only fractions of seconds to do so, and any loose objects in the cabin can potentially impact with occupants at those speeds. This can be fatal and all motorists should be aware of how serious this issue is. Keep your car clean and clutter free and you will have a more safe and pleasant driving experience.