Collision Damage: Is My Car a Safety Hazard?

Mesa, Arizona is a bustling city, and the traffic can be intense at times. Car accidents can happen at any time of the day or night.

If you have the misfortune to get into an accident, the first thing you need to do is take care of yourself and any passengers in the vehicle to make sure everyone is safe and is not injured. After personal safety is accounted for, you’ll need to think about taking your car to a Mesa auto body repair shop as soon as possible — or to have it towed to one. If you continue to drive your car without getting the collision repair it needs, you could be putting yourself and other drivers in danger.

Here are a few reasons why your car could be a safety hazard after it has been in an accident:

Tires and Brakes

Even if you have a minor fender bender, your tires and brakes could become compromised. You could take a lot off the tread if you slam on the brakes and skid around on the road. If someone hits one of your axles, the tire could become weakened, either in the rubber itself or in the rim. The brakes could also take a hit.

You may not even realize how compromised your tires or brakes are until you are driving one day weeks or months from the accident and you lose control because your tires don’t provide the right traction or your brakes aren’t as strong as they need to be.

Headlights and Brake Lights

Some of the most common damages in a crash are the headlights and brake lights. They can get busted even in minor crashes. Without even one headlight, you won’t have the visibility you need on the road. Without both brake lights, you put yourself at risk of being rear ended.

It’s important that you take your car to an auto body repair shop right away to fix any broken headlights or brake lights after a crash.

Engine

A lot of things can happen under the hood in an accident, even if you don’t see them. Even if you don’t think it was a bad accident, something can get knocked loose that can cause the engine to act up later. You might not even know there’s a problem until your engine seizes up on the highway and if that happens many insurance companies will not cover the additional damage. They will tell you it’s your fault for continuing to drive the vehicle while damaged.

The sooner you take your car in for collision repair, the better. Only a trained and experienced Mesa mechanic can identify the problems that could be lurking deep in the engine.