A Quick FAQ: Colorado Motor Vehicle Spring Maintenance Tips

Safety programs in Colorado stress the importance of year-round motor vehicle safety, including springtime maintenance and repairs. If reducing the odds of facing an accident wasn’t enough, good maintenance can also improve a car’s performance. The legal team from Bell & Pollock has seen many examples of where this proactive approach has saved lives; in fact, basic spring maintenance is crucial for vehicle owners in Denver, CO.

How Can Drivers Start De-Winterizing a Vehicle?

Spring maintenance should begin with a fluid check. Start by checking the levels of:

• Coolant
• Brake fluid
• Oil
• Transmission fluid

Low fluid leads to operational problems and compromises traffic safety. It could become an expensive and dangerous exercise when engine parts start to break down or the car loses control. A quick check before the start of the new season will ensure safe driving experiences and less chance of injuring someone else in an accident.

Is It Necessary to Deep Clean a Vehicle in the Spring?

Cleaning the car may not improve vehicle safety, but washing and waxing the vehicle properly after a long winter in Colorado will save a lot on repairs later. Salt on the road during wintertime wreaks havoc with a vehicle’s bodywork, eroding various components inside and outside the car. Use a vacuum or steam cleaner to make the inside of the vehicle shine; a sparkling interior is also sure to help you focus better on the road.

Why Do Cars Need New Windshield Wipers After the Winter?

Ice, snow, and salt do considerable damage to the windshield wipers. Damaged blades make it challenging to clean the windshield in the rain, and trying to squint through the mud-splashed glass is a huge risk to highway safety for you and everyone else. Changing the wiper blades once the last of the snow passes ensures safe driving.

Can Drivers Check The Tires Less in the Spring?

Motor vehicle safety is important year-round, but it is easy to forget that cold weather can make the tire pressure drop. Checking tires in the winter is vital, but the treads and the pressure (PSI) ensure safety in every season. For Colorado drivers who use winter tires to deal with the snow and ice, remembering to revert back to all-season tires in spring is also important.

Crash injuries often lead to high medical expenses, personal liability, and other potential losses. Bell & Pollock has seen how proper maintenance on a vehicle can reduce the odds of an accident, and that’s one precaution that might save a life.

Does the Air Filter Need a Change After the Colorado Winter?

Yes, the recommendation is to check the air filter as winter changes to spring. Dirty filters generally lower gas mileage and increase the operating costs of the vehicle. Changing the filter is a simple and inexpensive task that optimizes engine performance and prevents the risk of a malfunction that could cause an accident.

Drivers may also want to check the battery to ensure it still holds a decent charge after the freezing weather.

Bell & Pollock Support Motor Vehicle Safety in Colorado

Performing spring maintenance is always a good idea, but road accidents are often beyond our control. If another driver hits you or you would like to explore the options for a personal liability claim, feel free to contact our team in Denver, CO.

Call Bell & Pollock at (303)795-5900 today; we fully understand the importance of motor vehicle safety and safe driving in Colorado.

Now a Word from Bradley Pollock

By Bradley Pollock of Bell & Pollock Injury Attorneys

With spring weather around the corner, many Denver area residents will choose to walk to work and around the city. A recent survey found that 35,000 people walk to work on nice days throughout the year. While there are many benefits to walking, being a pedestrian can also present dangers for both pedestrians and drivers.

Every year more than 1,600 of the 70,000 motor vehicle crashes in the Denver region involve pedestrians or bicyclists, and those crashes are much more likely to cause serious injuries or fatalities, according to a report from the Denver Regional Council of Governments. This report found that 17% of all Denver traffic fatalities involved pedestrians.

Of all pedestrian crashes, most occur at intersections, but the majority of fatal pedestrian crashes occur mid-block. This statistic, along with Colorado law regarding crosswalks and pedestrians, is important to keep in mind. Colorado law states that pedestrians have the right-of-way at crosswalks and that drivers have a duty to avoid colliding with a pedestrian in a roadway, including giving a warning by sounding the horn and exercising precaution when the pedestrian is a child. However, Colorado law also prohibits pedestrians from suddenly leaving a curb to walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle, and pedestrians are required to follow traffic control devices and regulations. Additionally, there may be different rules for pedestrians crossing anywhere other than a crosswalk.

The DRCOG report found that when drivers are at fault for pedestrian crashes, they are typically cited with careless driving or failing to yield the right-of-way, and when pedestrians are at fault they are cited with unlawful crossing, walking into the path of a vehicle, or failing to observe traffic device. To ensure the safety of yourself and others as a pedestrian, cross only at designated crosswalks and do not cross against the traffic control device. As a driver, use caution upon approaching crosswalks and intersections. Make sure you stop at the marked line and do not proceed forward into the crosswalk when you have a red light, and use caution when making a turn, especially when a pedestrian may have the right-of-way on a green light.

If you’ve been injured by the carelessness of another or by the negligence of an intoxicated driver, contact one of our experienced lawyers at the Law Firm of Bell & Pollock to go over your options and establish a Legal Game Plan.™

To Learn Even More . . .

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If you have any questions about the topics discussed in today’s newsletter, or questions on other legal issues, give our office a call and one of our attorneys would be happy to talk with you.

More Information

Get more information about your rights and options following an accident by checking out one of our helpful BOOKS: THEY ARE FREE.

• Don’t Get Hurt Twice in the Same Accident – This enlightening guide dispels some of the most common (and harmful) myths about car crashes, insurance companies, attorneys, and financial recoveries.
• The Essential Guide to Car Insurance in Colorado – This guide helps all drivers better understand car insurance. If you’ve ever had a question about a claim, dispute or car insurance in general, this is a must-read.
• Cowards of the Street: Hit & Run – This book uncovers the facts about hit and runs and how to financially recover from these crashes. It also shares about what you can do to protect yourself before and after a hit and run accident occurs.
• Colorado’s Workers’ Compensation: The Ultimate Guide – This insightful book reveals everything you need to know in order to protect your rights as a worker – and to position a Colorado workers’ compensation claim for success.
• Legal Game Plan – This educational book helps you better understand insurance company’s hidden game plan…and come up with one on your own!
• Motorcycle Accidents (or How to Go Full Throttle Against the Insurance Companies) – This informative read will help motorcyclists come up with a plan of action to combat the insurance agencies. If you ride a motorcycle, you need this book.
• 18 Mistakes You Could Make to Destroy Your Injury Claim – Found within is a precise guide regarding a trove of detailed mistakes one should avoid when pursuing a successful resolution to ones case. This work helps answer questions and details advice to protect oneself from common pitfalls and perils associated with a compensation claim.
• Distracted Driving and Your Injury Claim – This comprehensive work assists all drivers in understanding the dangers of distracted driving and its relationship to your injury claim.
• Premises Liability (Landowner Responsibility and Injury Recovery) – This definitive piece renders the details behind the history of the Premises Liability Law in Colorado and highlights examples of responsibility which further offers a practical guide for injured victims.

Call our office to request copies of our books. THEY ARE FREE. You can also request a copy of any (or all) of these books on our website. You can download a free electronic copy anytime. And be sure to tune in to our weekly radio show to learn more about a variety of legal topics.