How does wheel alignment affect your safety and that of other road users?

Posted on: 15 February 2017

As a driver and a vehicle owner, one of the most important considerations, as you drive along any road, is your safety, that of your passengers, and that of other road users. One of the factors that will contribute towards enhancing or compromising the safety discussed above is the alignment condition of your vehicle's wheels at every given moment in time.

The wheel alignment plays a pivotal role in the overall safety of your car. Moreover, you need to understand that there are several ways through which proper wheel alignment or a lack of it will affect your security on the road. That is why the remaining sections of this post will delve deeper into how this important car servicing and alignment procedure affects car safety.

It reduces the level of control and handling

When your car wheels are not aligned properly, it will be difficult for you to control your vehicle. This happens because one wheel will be pointing in one direction and incline the car that way, while you are trying to steer it in another direction. When you lose the ability to steer the vehicle well, you are going to be more likely to end up hitting other vehicles, pedestrians, or even veering off the road into a ditch.

Additionally, one of the ways you can maintain road safety is through your ability to respond quickly to emergency situations by swiftly steering away from an object and back to the road. If your car wheels are not aligned properly, it is very difficult to make such evasive moves.

It wears out tires

When car wheels are misaligned, they tend to pull and drift the tires to one side of the road. As this pulling continues to take effect, tires will end up getting wear and tear prematurely, hence losing their proper traction on the road. The result of such a dysfunctional tire condition is that the tires are vulnerable to skidding, which is also a recipe for avoidable accidents and casualties.

It promotes poor braking action

The braking system of your car is an integrated part of your wheels. The wheels are the last place where the effects of all braking responses are felt and executed. If they are misaligned, it becomes difficult to apply brakes properly, especially during an emergency, which compromises your safety further. Most people realise that braking is one of the most important responses in avoiding accidents.

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