Inspect the interior of your car before you set off.
After examining the exterior of your car and under the hood, climb in and initiate the in-car vehicle check. Here, you focus on the:
- Dials on the dashboard
- Warning lights on the dashboard
- Lighting and turn signals
- Heating and ventilation
- Control mechanisms
The Dashboard
The dashboard serves as an essential tool for inspecting your car. The dashboard provides substantial information about your car.
For instance, the dials on the dashboard indicate your speed and whether there’s adequate fuel in the tank. Thanks to the warning lights, you will be aware if your lights are activated and whether all the crucial under-hood components are functioning correctly. The dashboard continues to serve as an important information source while driving.
Although the appearance of a dashboard can change according to car model, the key dials and warning lights are always easily identifiable.
The various meters
- Tachometer: Indicates the number of engine rotations per minute and suggests when a gear change might be necessary.
- Speedometer: Monitors your driving speed.
- Odometer: Tracks the total distance the car has covered.
- Trip odometer: Records the distance traveled in a single day (or the current trip)
- Temperature gauge: Measures the engine’s temperature via the coolant level. If the gauge shows a red signal, halt the car immediately. ⚠️
- Fuel gauge: Shows the remaining fuel quantity. If the fuel gauge enters the red zone, it indicates approximately 5 liters of fuel left (which should last between 30 and 65 km).
Indicator Lights
When you activate the ignition of your car, the dashboard’s indicator lights illuminate. As the engine starts – when you initiate ignition - most of the lights turn off automatically. If a light remains lit, you can decipher its meaning via the symbol.
The quantity of dashboard lights continues to increase. 😂
Newer cars come installed with advanced systems, each associated with new indicator lights. Additionally, electric or hybrid cars display different symbols compared to a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. It’s beneficial to familiarize yourself with key symbols to know when immediate action is required.
A hybrid car is a vehicle that can operate on both fuel and electricity. It’s a blend of a combustion engine vehicle using gasoline or diesel and an entirely electric vehicle. Many hybrid cars can run a limited distance on the electric motor before switching to the combustion engine.
The colors on the dashboard
There are five colors of indicator lights, each with its own meaning.
🟥🟧🟩⬜️🟦
Red = Act immediately! ‼️
Red warning lights denote emergency: they indicate immediate action is required.
‼️ At times, it may even extend to a prohibition on driving until the malfunction is rectified.
Hence, red lights are the most crucial indicators to monitor!
Examples:
- Engine level too low or too high
- High temperature in the engine
Orange = indicates a malfunction
These warning lights signal a non-critical fault.
It’s essential to address the issue, but there’s no need to stop your car instantly.
Examples:
- Break pads are worn out
- Tire pressure too low
Green = a functioning component
These indicators inform you that a system is active and operating correctly.
Examples:
- (Hybrid) Car running on electric motor.
- Turn signal is on
White = function is available
These are indication and advisory lights. These lights inform you when a certain feature is activated and provide guidance or suggestions (for instance, a warning about icy road conditions).
Example:
- The A/C is on
Blue = High Beam
Only the high beam is colored blue, making it easily recognizable.
ADAS: Driver Assistance Systems
ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, include various control lights.
This overarching term incorporates several driver aid systems that enhance safety and facilitate easier driving. In the future, ADAS will come standard in every new car. Some renowned driver aid systems are:
- ESP - Electronic Stability Program automatically intervenes when there is potential skidding.
- Forward Proximity Alert - warns you when you’re too near to the car in front.
- RBS - Radar Brake Support sounds an alarm when the vehicle in front brakes abruptly and a collision may occur. When collision is imminent, RBS can independently initiate braking and boost braking power.
- Lane Assist - notifies you if you’re straying or likely to veer off the lane.
- Adaptive Cruise Control - progresses beyond standard cruise control by autonomously adjusting the proper distance to the car ahead.
- Intelligent Speed Adaption - sends an alert if you exceed the allowed driving speed.
ADAS: Advantage or Safety Risk?
In terms of road safety, Europe, including the Netherlands, aspires to achieve “zero traffic fatalities” by 2050. For context, each year in the Netherlands, there are more than 600 traffic-related deaths and almost 21,000 serious injuries.
Driver assistance systems should begin to help improve road safety. By taking over simple driving tasks and alerting drivers to unsafe situations, or even intervening automatically. Think, for example, of making an independent emergency stop when there is a chance of a collision.
Driver assistance systems should make traffic safer. At the same time, they also introduce new safety risks. For example, many driver assistance systems are not yet mature when they are installed. This means that systems are being further developed while cars are already driving around with them on public roads.
The biggest risk is the new division of roles between car and driver. Cars are increasingly turning into driving computers that can steer, accelerate and brake themselves. On the one hand, this means that the driver has to do less. On the other hand, you have to stay extra alert in case the car loses control or missteps. At that moment you have to decide within seconds whether and how to intervene.
A final risk is that ADAS are computer programs. This raises issues of cybersecurity and updates. An update can -without the driver’s knowledge- change the operation of a driving assistance system.
ADAS thus makes driving easier and more difficult at the same time. Yet this development will continue. Dutch and European policy aims to make ADAS increasingly compulsory, precisely because it ultimately increases road safety. This does mean that there is an important role for manufacturers, the government and drivers themselves to learn to apply ADAS in such a way that they indeed make the road safer.
Continuous control of operating devices
Windshield wipers and washer
The controls for the wipers and washer are located on the lever to the right of your steering wheel. By rotating this lever, you can adjust the wiper speed higher or lower. Only use the wipers when the windshield is wet, and ensure the wipers are not frozen to the glass before turning them on.
Heating and ventilation
Having good visibility is essential for safe driving. ‼️
During wet or cold weather, the windows may get foggy from inside. This fog can be rapidly eliminated by turning on the front, side, and rear window defrosting system. You can adjust the temperature, airflow, and circulation in the car using buttons or controls on your dashboard. Most cars are equipped with an air conditioning system that maintains a pleasant temperature inside the car, even on hot days.
Brake Inspection
An integral part of the vehicle check involves assessing the brake pressure. Once the car is started, press the brake pedal several times. This process allows the distribution of brake pressure across the braking system, and enables you to ascertain if the brake pedal provides sufficient resistance. Should the pedal be depressed without any resistance, it indicates a problem with the brakes. In such instances, engage the services of a professional. ‼️
Parking brake (hand brake)
Before starting the engine, check that the parking brake is engaged. For good locking ability, you should hear at least 6 to 7 clicks when you apply the parking brake.
‼️ Once you have started the engine and are about to drive off, release the parking brake by pulling the lever up slightly and pressing the lock button on the front of the lever with your thumb. Only release the lock button once the lever is all the way down.