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Prove : Poor Vehicle maintenance can be a deadly combination.
Hello! Thanks for your question about the deadly consequences of poor vehicle maintenance. The short version is that there are countless consequences associated with neglecting vehicle maintenance, which include accidents and injuries to drivers, costly repairs, and hefty fines. Furthermore, a poorly maintained vehicle in a business can cause inconvenience for customers and employees, which is a liability for the company. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
To find correlations between poorly maintained vehicles and damages to businesses, I started by looking at all the ways poor car maintenance can affect individuals. After finding specific details on the costs of poorly maintained vehicles, it was clear that this could affect businesses in a major way.
To find more reliable sources I also looked at studies done outside of the U.S. I then looked for some statistics and numbers that would quantify the damages. In the next section, I have summarized 4 points, backed with statistics, which demonstrate the significant negative impacts of poor car maintenance on businesses and individuals as well as positive impacts of well-maintained vehicles.
BACKGROUND
Vehicle safety is one of the top concerns for businesses and employers. While the employees are responsible for operating the vehicle safely, businesses are in charge of properly educating and training their drivers, as well as proactively maintaining their vehicles to avoid being liable for inevitable consequences of poor vehicle maintenance. Furthermore, investing on vehicle maintenance can save businesses thousands of dollars each year. Research shows that well-maintained vehicles can improve workplace productivity and reduce number of missed days.
1. Out of 6,159,000 accidents reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics in 2005, 12% to 13% were caused by mechanical failures. Normal wear and lack of proper vehicle maintenance are major contributors.
2. According to a research from Lex Autolease in UK, unexpected incidents due to poor vehicle maintenance costed businesses an average of £4,300 ($5,239) and 1.4 lost working days per incident in 2014. Furthermore, this study reveals that 45% of the drivers are unable to change a flat tire, 44% cannot check oil, about half of the drivers cannot tell if the tire threads are legal and many cannot check tire pressure. Considering the cost burdens of poor vehicle maintenance it is a surprise that more than half of such businesses do not offer training in regards to vehicle maintenance for their drivers. Finally, this study shows how well-maintained vehicles can increase work productivity.
3. According to a study by Car Care Council, done in 2004, the costs from accidents due to poor vehicle maintenance adds up to $2 billion a year. It is shown that individuals can avoid such costs by investing a fraction of the money on vehicle maintenance. For instance, while regular oil changes cost about $120 per year, not changing oil regularly can wear down parts of the engine and replacing the engine costs about $4,000. When all the required maintenance is considered, the total cost of vehicle maintenance adds up to $1,000 per year, while the cost of skipping the maintenance adds up to over $8,000 a year.
4. There are many benefits associated with using well-maintained vehicles. Some of the benefits that stand out are increased safety, improved fuel economy and extended lifespan. For instance having tires with better threads can improve the safety by increasing the stopping distance and properly inflated tires have a significant impact on fuel economy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 1.25 billion gallons of gasoline is wasted due to improperly inflated tires each year. This is a cost that can be easily avoided through proper vehicle maintenance.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, it is evident that poor vehicle maintenance can have devastating negative impact on individuals. This can affect businesses in a major way, as they are responsible for maintaining their vehicles and educating their employees on vehicle maintenance. Failing to do so can cost businesses thousands of dollars each year. In some cases poor vehicle maintenance can result in death and injury of employees and the company can be held liable for damages in such scenarios. Research shows that investing on vehicle maintenance can save companies money on the long run and can maximize the productivity of the employees.
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