Abstract
Almost every motor vehicle in use today came with a manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule. Many automobile manufacturers expect the owner (or driver) to perform certain first-line maintenance tasks on his or her own vehicle. This paper examines automobile drivers' knowledge of and preparedness to deal with many of these maintenance tasks as well as some emergencies which can arise as a result of their neglect. Relative differences between the genders are discussed as are differences among age groups. A set of non-driving maintenance functions commonly described in owner's manuals was selected for study. A survey was designed to measure drivers' knowledge with regard to these maintenance functions and other safety knowledge. The instrument also asked a number of questions designed to determine what types of safety equipment the drivers routinely carry with them as well as what types of other maintenance the subjects performed on their own cars. Subjects were 166 licensed male and female drivers between the ages of 16 and 92. Results indicate that many drivers may not be safely performing these tasks and, further, may not have the critical knowledge (and, in some cases, equipment) to perform them safely or to deal with common vehicle emergencies.
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