The 5-point check when driving in South Africa refers to a basic safety routine to ensure that your vehicle is in good working condition before starting your journey. It involves inspecting five key areas of your vehicle. The 5-point check typically includes:
- Tires: Check the condition and pressure of your tires, ensuring they are properly inflated and have sufficient tread depth. Inadequate tire pressure or worn-out tires can affect your vehicle’s handling and braking ability.
- Lights: Verify that all the lights on your vehicle are functioning correctly, including headlights, taillights, brake lights, indicators, and hazard lights. Properly functioning lights are essential for visibility and communication with other road users.
- Mirrors: Adjust your rear-view and side mirrors to ensure proper visibility. The mirrors should be clean, correctly positioned, and provide an adequate view of the road behind and beside your vehicle.
- Seatbelts: Fasten your seatbelt and ensure that all passengers in the vehicle have also buckled up. Seatbelts are crucial for occupant safety and should always be worn while driving.
- Fluids: Check the levels of essential fluids in your vehicle, including engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid. Insufficient fluid levels can lead to mechanical problems or compromised visibility.
Performing these checks before each journey helps to promote safer driving and can prevent potential issues on the road. It’s a good practice to incorporate the 5-point check as part of your routine vehicle inspection.