Last updated: September 11, 2025
Safety should be a top priority for any driver. If you are looking for ways to increase the safety of your car, the following guide will talk you through different ways you can be more proactive with protecting yourself and others on the roads.
Why is car safety important?
Car safety is important for so many reasons. First and foremost, driving an unsafe car can result in accidents which can be life-threatening to you, other drivers, and pedestrians too. These accidents can cause significant physical and mental health implications.
As well as health dangers, accidents and driving an unsafe car can have steep financial impacts too. Being involved in an incident means you may find your insurance premiums skyrocket and the cost of renting a car in the future may become unaffordable.
There are also legal implications to driving in an unsafe car, with the possibility of racking up a number of penalty points, and even the risk of losing your licence if your car is not equipped with adequate brakes, tyres and steering.
Stay up to date with the latest recall information too in case your car is involved. For example, by checking the car seat recall list 2023.
Service and maintenance
Getting your car regularly serviced is crucial as there are often issues identified that could later cause a hazard to the driver, such as alloy flat spots that could lead to a dangerous tyre blowout.
If you often forget when your MOT and service are due, consider adding a digital reoccurring reminder to your phone to ensure you cannot miss them. It may also be beneficial to try and align your car insurance renewal to be around the same time.
Getting the right tyres
Having the correct tyres for your car is important for safety.
If you live in colder environments or in rural areas where it is dangerous to drive when wet, make sure to fit winter tyres to your car. Similarly, make sure you regularly change tyres when recommended to avoid reduced grip with bald tyres, as this can be very unsafe.
Tyre pressure
While some cars will alert you to low tyre pressure, others will not and if this is the case you can do a quick check by looking and using the ‘thumb test’. If you can push in on the tyre and it recedes then it is likely low in pressure.
You should never drive with these tyres if this is the case as they have reduced endurance and are more prone to sudden puncture which can be detrimental to you and those nearby.
Driving habits
As well as the car itself, your driving habits have a big impact on safety. From not checking your mirrors, to braking and accelerating too quickly, there are lots of poor driving habits that can leave you open to accidents.
Making sure to minimise distractions while driving and performing basic checks before setting off on any journey is an effective way to reduce the likelihood of incidents.
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