What's involved in a car safety check

People use more than one guide when buying a car, whether new or used and their choice often reflects their personality. The main things that sway a buyer toward a particular vehicle are colour, model, style and word of mouth, while others prefer a specific brand and tend to stick with it.

Vehicle safety should really be your first consideration when looking to buy a new or used car, especially in the case of a used car.

Car: Safety ratings

The safety ratings that apply to used cars are as follows:

• Crashworthiness - how well a model protects its driver compared to the average of all models
• Aggressiveness - how much of a danger the model is to the drivers of other vehicles or road users involved with it in a crash compared to the average of all models

Most new models offer top of the range crash design and an impressive array of safety equipment but a used vehicle is an unknown quantity until it has been checked mechanically and via its service history. If the car has previously been involved in a serious accident, you will need to know about it as it could have a negative impact on the car's performance.

General car safety checks

During a safe check, all aspects of the vehicle are checked to ensure that everything is in full working order. The check usually covers things such as:

• Engine oil and the oil filter
• Wiper blades and operation
• The windscreen washer bottle
• Tyre pressure
• The coolant level
• Internal controls and lights
• Brake fluid
• Power steering fluid

Many of these checks you can actually perform at home during your regular maintenance check, but if you have any concerns or are unsure of what you should be doing, contact your mechanic and arrange for them to do a full safety check on your car.