PRETTY YOUNG THING

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How safe is your car? Despite getting and passing your yearly MOT, this isn't enough to ensure your vehicle is fully roadworthy and only inspects certain aspects of the car.

Maintaining your car's safety is an ongoing task and something you must always do, especially if you use your car frequently. The brakes, tires, steering and even the car's construction are all factors that can render your car unroadworthy, and there are thought to be over 3 million cars on UK roads with no MOT. With the fines of driving an unsafe car or a car with no MOT up to £1,000, what can you do to ensure your car is safe at all times?

Service

While it is legal for all cars over 3 years old to have an up-to-date MOT, having a service isn't a legal requirement. Many cars can go years without being adequately serviced, and this can cause undue stress and strain on the vehicle. A car service includes checks on water and oil levels, lights, brakes, steering, coolant, bodywork, exhaust, etc. The cost of a service can vary depending on your car, but it is recommended you get a service each year or every 10,000 miles. Doing so can give you a better indication of the condition of your car and alert you of any issues you might not have realised you have.

Tires

Low tire tread or poorly maintained tires can lead to increased fuel consumption and an increased risk of accidents due to lower grip on the road at speeds or in wet weather, for example. The legal tire tread depth is a minimum of 1.6mm. A common trick is to use a 20p coin, and the tread needs to come up to the outside raised edge to be legally viable. Visit a reputable tyre shop to have your tires changed and find the right size and model tires for your car for added safety on the road.

Don't forget to check the tire pressure on your car. As with tire tread, if you are driving with low tire pressure, you can be at increased risk of damage to your car, accidents, fuel consumption, and tire defects.

Add Assistive Technology

Modern cars come equipped with a range of assistive technology that helps drivers to be safer and more aware of the roads and their surroundings. To make your vehicle safer on the road, you can add a range of different gadgets to your car, such as tire pressure gauges to alert you of low tire pressure, a reverse camera for safer reversing, blind spot sensors, anti-collision technology, lane departure warnings and stability control systems.

Windscreen

We all know the jingle; we've seen the adverts, but how much attention do you pay to what it actually means? Your windscreen is an integral part of the structure of your car, and to retain its integrity and safety, you need to ensure you take care of any windscreen damage quickly. A small crack or chip in your windscreen puts the safety and stability of your car at risk. Even the most minor chip can crack if you hit a pothole or something else lands on your windscreen. And in the event of a collision, the windscreen won't be as stable as you need to be and will cause further damage.

Conclusion

Road safety should be paramount to all drivers, and this isn't just how you drive personally. It is about ensuring the car you are driving is legally roadworthy and can protect your and your passengers in the event of an accident.

There are many reasons you might be looking to get into the gym. It could be that you have a big event coming up such as a wedding which you are part of, a holiday or you might just want to become healthier in yourself. No matter the reason you want to start working out, it can feel a bit daunting if you’ve never joined a gym before. There are so many different ones out there and you want to make sure you feel comfortable and ready to get your workout done. Consider the sort of workouts you want to do, whether it be running, weight lifting or classes, and find a gym that suits this. Once you’ve found the gym for you, follow these top tips to help you feel more at ease.

Learn to use the equipment correctly

The gym comes with a host of equipment and it’s important you learn how to use it correctly to stop yourself from getting injured and to get the best results. It can be worth speaking to a personal trainer at the start who can teach you how to use everything and put you on a tailored plan. If you suffer from pain, working out can help but you need to make sure you’re not putting a strain on your body. It can also help to look into a Physiotherapist service.

Find a gym buddy

Working out alone isn’t necessarily the most fun in the world, so why not recruit a friend to come along with you? Having a gym buddy means you can both motivate each other to go - particularly on those days when you just want to stay inside and do nothing. You can also spot each other on the machines and weights and help encourage each other during your workouts. You could go together once a week or a few times, no matter how many, you’re sure to notice a difference and find going to the gym a much more appealing prospect.

Switch up your diet

The food you eat has a massive impact on your body and if you’re going to the gym you don’t want to undo all your hard work by having a bad diet. Look at healthy eating plans you can implement alongside your workout and you will find you reap the benefits of your new lifestyle a lot more quickly than if you were just doing one or the other. Make sure you give yourself days off and don’t be too strict or it’s not sustainable. So pour a glass of wine at the weekend and don’t restrict what you eat too massively.

These are just a few top tips for starting the gym if you’ve not been before. The gym can feel a bit of a daunting place, particularly when you’re just starting out but you’ll soon find it’s welcoming and has a great community for you to be a part of. What are some top tips you have for getting started in the gym? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!