Dangerous technical condition of our vehicles
Car inspection should be treated as routine inspections, because this is also often about life! - say the organizers of the action "Driving responsibly".
Car inspection should be treated as routine inspections, because this is also often about life! - say the organizers of the action "Driving responsibly".
We are doing something like a riot 
among independent mechanics. We want every driver to receive a free technical inspection of the car before Christmas, says Witold Rogowski, an expert from the nationwide automotive network ProfiAuto.pl.
– According to the specialists of the international concern Dekra from Stuttgart, which has been continuously operating in the automotive services market since 1925, about 7% of traffic accidents in Germany were caused by the poor technical condition of cars. In Poland, this statistic could be much higher, says Mariusz Podkalicki, a race car driver and owner of Pro Driving Team, a driving school that improves driving technique, who has been a forensic expert for five years and collaborates with the Road Safety Academy in the preparation of road traffic accident reports. technical condition of vehicles.
In his opinion, the technical condition of vehicles contributes to many tragedies in Poland to a large extent. This opinion is confirmed by Vitold Rogovsky. – I very often meet with mechanics and see the condition in which cars come to them. Leaky shock absorbers, welded mufflers, a cut catalytic converter, a dilapidated brake system, suspension or steering, unfortunately, are on the agenda. The blood in your veins sometimes freezes at the sight of tires that are mostly suitable only for environmental disposal, absolutely not for driving, says Rogowski. That is why ProfiAuto.pl and Pro Driving Team want to inform Polish drivers about the impact of technical conditions on road safety as partners of the "I drive responsibly" campaign.
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According to the official statistics of the Police Headquarters, in 2010 the technical condition of vehicles was the cause of 66 traffic accidents, in which 13 people died and 87 were injured. The biggest failures were found in lighting (50% of cases) and tires. (18,2%). The problem is that these numbers do not reflect the scale of the problem. In many cases, the cause of the accident is classified as not adapting the speed to the road conditions, because there is simply no money for detailed crash and collision tests. Even worse, as experts emphasize, as a result, drivers do not realize the scale of this problem.
– And this causes a disrespectful attitude to the problem. Especially in the case of young drivers who, by getting behind the wheel of old cars, without any prohibition, exceed the limits of their skills and the capabilities of the car, says Mariusz Podkalitsky.
- Owners of defective vehicles often don't know what the risk is or don't know what part to buy and end up buying it from the market because the seller told them it came from a "nearly new car" that was only "slightly knocked over". ”, adds Witold Rogovsky. – Of course, the quality of the vehicle fleet in Poland is constantly improving from year to year, and we are pleased with this. However, do not flatter yourself, the fact that we have a five- or six-year-old car does not mean that we should not go to a car service for an inspection, says the ProfiAuto.pl expert.
A typical example is checking headlights before driving. “Theoretically, we all do it. The only question is why, at a distance of several kilometers, we often pass by several cars traveling to the same light, which is extremely dangerous in the current weather conditions,” says Witold Rogovsky.
Prevent and prevent again!
According to automotive experts, Polish drivers neglect the technical condition of their cars mainly for financial reasons. The recipe for this could be stricter vehicle inspection testing criteria and more frequent service station visits.
Hence the idea to give all drivers in Poland access to free technical tests before Christmas. – Within the next two weeks, vehicle control cards will be sent to all ProfiAuto points in more than 200 cities in Poland, which every driver can download free of charge. With such a card, anyone can go to the service station and show the mechanic which points of the car need to be checked, says Witold Rogovsky. He adds that the "I Drive Responsibly" campaign is designed to appeal to both drivers and garage owners and mechanics, who are not always eager to carry out such inspections.
“And it doesn't take a lot of time or energy to do it. In fact, a little goodwill is enough to check the critical points in each car within a dozen or so minutes, says the ProfiAuto.pl expert. The organizers hope that through such actions, drivers will understand that it is not worth postponing the replacement of parts until the last moment. We don't change the brake pads only when they start rubbing against the brake discs with sheet metal (also because then the discs also need to be changed). Instead, you will have to go to the mechanic twice a year and, if necessary, have him inspect the entire machine and make a list of parts that need to be replaced. What is important is that you really need to change these details, and not wait for the last moment, because this can end in tragedy on the road, or at best with a tow truck, i.e. large additional costs.
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Do you think the Poles care about the technical condition of their cars? If we compare Polish drivers with drivers from the West, what conclusions arise?
Mariusz Podkalicki:
I think that a large group of drivers neglect the technical condition of their cars and this is mainly due to the wealth of their wallets. But we cannot justify ourselves in all cases. If we were to ask a statistical study group of 1000 driver respondents when was the last time you checked the effectiveness of a brake light or turn signal, we would not be surprised. Western drivers are more disciplined and probably more responsible in traffic.
– How often do you think that the technical condition of a car is the main cause of accidents on Polish roads?
Mariusz Podkalicki:
Too often in my opinion. The technical condition of cars makes a significant contribution to many tragedies that drivers do not know about. The lack of knowledge in this area causes a disrespectful attitude to the problem. This is especially true for young drivers who, by driving old cars, without any restrictions exceed the limits of their automotive skills and abilities. Often, due to a lack of funds, cars do not meet the conditions for road traffic authorization, which greatly increases the risk. According to the specialists of the international concern Dekra from Stuttgart, which has been continuously operating in the automotive services market since 1925, about 7% of traffic accidents in Germany were caused by the poor technical condition of cars. In Poland, this statistic can be much higher.
- Does the police keep statistics on the impact of the technical condition of cars on accidents?
Mariusz Podkalicki:
The police, of course, register accidents and collisions for technical reasons of vehicles, but it is obvious that there is a so-called. dark number of events. This is mainly due to the lack of money for a detailed study of accidents and collisions. Given this situation, it is necessary to involve insurance companies in solving this problem, which should be interested in improving road safety in Poland. Then the statistics would be more real.
- What parts of the car, in your opinion, are the most common cause of accidents?
Mariusz Podkalicki:
Faulty braking system, lighting: turn signals, brake lights, improperly adjusted low and high beams are the main causes of accidents. Further, the poor condition of the rubber, non-working suspension: shock absorbers, tie rod ends, rocker arms.
– What were the most shocking cases in your practice as an expert witness?
Mariusz Podkalicki:
I specialized in the reconstruction of traffic accidents, with particular attention to driving technique. I have dealt with many interesting cases. One of them occurred on a two-lane road with a speed limit of 50 km / h, where the driver, while driving at the speed limit, made a lane change maneuver, losing traction on a dry surface. The car crashed sideways into a tree. I myself could not believe that the cause of the accident was not speeding. After conducting a wheel examination and performing an experiment under similar conditions, it turned out that the cause of the accident was low pressure in the rear wheel, due to which the car suddenly began to oversteer. As it turned out, the driver pumped up pressure in this wheel several times, not suspecting what this could lead to.
– What needs to be done (for example, in terms of changing the rules, training, etc.) to improve the technical condition, awareness and responsibility of the Poles in this regard?
Mariusz Podkalicki:
First of all, it is too easy to make it impossible to carry out a technical inspection of a vehicle by tightening the inspection criteria. Expand the scope of training in driving schools with a topic related to the impact of technical condition on our safety. Carry out advertising campaigns on television, filming interesting videos that demonstrate the threat to the technical condition of cars.
