You’re in a hurry. You grab your coat, purse and keys and rush out to the car. There, you fumble to get the key in the ignition. You fire up the car and you’re off. How many times have you done this? What’s missing?

When’s the last time you’ve looked your car over to see if everything is good to go, whether you’re in a hurry or not? Do you have a tire that’s low on air? Are your lights all working? Is something leaking under your car? Is something hanging under your car?

For most of us, we realize we have a flat tire when we hear that “Thump-Thump-Thump” and feel a pull on the steering wheel. We suddenly notice a little darkness on one side in front of our car and realize a headlight is out. Or, we see flashing lights in our rear-view mirror and discover a taillight, brake light or turn signal has burned out when one of McHenry’s finest is tapping on the driver’s side window.

• Something leaking under the car could indicate a problem that would otherwise find us stuck on the side of the road somewhere. In fact, you can tell a lot about a problem by the color of what’s leaking.
• If you have an orange or green fluid on the ground under your car, you probably have a coolant/antifreeze leak. Drive with that for a little while and your car will overheat. You could even damage the engine if you don’t pull over and do something about that quick.
• A red fluid on the ground could indicate power-steering or transmission fluid. Lose power-steering fluid and you’ll have considerable trouble turning the steering wheel. Lose transmission fluid and you could damage your transmission.
• A brownish or black fluid on the ground probably indicates an oil leak. Drive your car low on engine oil and, at the very least, you’re liable to shorten the life of the engine. At the worst, you may destroy the engine.

Seeing one of these problems in advance can go a long way to preserving the durability and resale value of your car. If you see a problem, you can have it repaired before any damage is done. It can even be the difference between operating your car safely or getting in trouble.

Your lights have a lot to do with safely operating your vehicle, too. The headlights provide improved vision while you’re driving. The other lights communicate your presence and your intended actions allowing other drivers to see you and anticipate your moves.

Finding a light out allows you to fix the problem before it goes too far – too far being when your in an accident or standing in front of a judge. The process of walking around your car only takes a few seconds. Do it when you’re not in a great-big hurry. But do it once in a while and you’ll have fewer unpleasant surprises.