When you pull out of your Wonder Lake driveway and a warning light comes on, do you know what it means? Might be a good idea if you do.

Bing! Bing! Bing! Your door is ajar. You go out to your car in your Wonder Lake driveway, put the key in the ignition and turn the key. Before the engine even starts, an array of colored lights shine out at you from the dashboard. And every single light is telling you something.

Of course, most of those lights go off once the car starts, or at least they’re supposed to. But if a light stays on, there’s probably a reason.

Many are used to driving with the engine light blazing nonstop in the dashboard. It’s an indication that something needs to be checked with the engine or the emissions system. And while we can often drive for miles with the light on, we really should have it checked out.

When the engine light is on, there could be a serious problem that it’s trying to warn us about. Continuing to drive with the engine light on could, depending on the problem, cause serious damage to the engine over time.

Auto designers have tried to make the lights somewhat self-explanatory. For instance, if you see a light that looks like an oil can, it’s probably telling you that you’re low on oil or are due for an oil change.

Other lights will tell you when a tire is low on air pressure. Then you have lights that remind you to put your seatbelt on while driving. Some will let you know if the airbags are operational. But many of the lights are more mechanical in nature.

We have flashing lights that are coordinated with the flashers. If they stop flashing in the dashboard, or flash rapidly, you could have a problem with one of the bulbs.

If you’re on an icy road, and hit the brakes hard, you’re liable to see the ABS light come on. This is indicating that the Anti-Lock Braking System is operating.

A light that looks like a battery indicates that you have a problem with the charging system or battery. Ignore this light and you’re liable to find everything shutting down when the battery is drained.

We have cooling temperature lights that look like thermometers. You don’t want to ignore this light either of you could find your car overheating.

There are lights that let you know when you’re low on window washer solvent, power steering fluid and fuel. You also have a light that tells you when your high beams are on. 

One page on the internet claims that there are 89 warning lights common in cars today. Thankfully, you don’t have all of them in your dashboard. But, when you pull out of your Wonder Lake driveway, you should still pay attention to any warning lights that are on.