Are You Ready?

For winter, that is. As I write this the view outside of our building has gone from a bright, sunny, relatively warm November day with the clear blue skies Colorado is famous for to an ominous dark cloudbank rolling in from the mountains as a harbinger of all the winter driving delights that living in this region is infamous for.

Its that time of the year to check your vehicle. We had shared some tips from our Loss Prevention staff with our employees on steps to make sure they could handle winter's worst. This year a couple of our Loss Prevention staff have volunteered to spend a couple of hours helping employees who don't know the difference between transmission and power steering fluid run their vehicles through the following checklist:

15 – Minute Winter Vehicle Checklist

Date of Inspection: _____________

Vehicle License Plate: _____________

Items marked with an asterisk (*) are recommended checked or rechecked by a qualified mechanic

Required Documents
Current Vehicle Registration? Yes ____ No ____
Expiration date: ____________

Current Proof of Insurance? Yes ____ No ____
Expiration date: ____________

My Drivers License is current? Yes ____ No ____

Expiration date: ____________

General Inspection
Vehicle is routinely serviced and the oil and filters changed per the manual? Yes ____ No ____

Is there any body damage that might affect the vehicles safe operation? Yes____ *No ____

Tires
Tires are properly inflated consistent with the manual? Yes ____ No ____

Spare tire is present, in good condition,
and properly inflated? Yes ____ No ____

Tire tread is: adequate ____ questionable ____* poor ____* unknown ____*

Lights are in working condition?

Headlights: High beam Yes ____ No ____*

Low beam Yes ____ No ____*

Turn Signals: Front Yes ____ No ____*
note left and right ________________

Rear Yes ____ No ____*
note left and right ________________

Taillights Yes ____ No ____*
note left and right ________________

Brake Lights Yes ____ No ____*
note left and right ________________

Reverse / backup lights Yes ____ No ____*
note left and right ________________

Hazard Lights (front / rear) Yes ____ No ____*
note left and right ________________

Mirrors & Glass
Rear view mirror and side mirrors are present, operable, and unobstructed? Yes ____ No ____

Windshield and window glass is unbroken, clean and unobstructed?
Yes ____ No ____

Under the Hood*
Engine and Fluid Levels

Battery is in good condition (posts and connections are not corroded)
Yes ____ No ____

Coolant OK ____ Not OK ____*

Oil Level OK ____ Not OK ____*

Transmission OK ____ Not OK ____*

Power Steering OK ____ Not OK ____*

Brake Fluid OK ____ Not OK ____*

Window Washer OK ____ Not OK ____

Last service date: _____________________

Accessories
Wipers are operable and blades are in good condition? Yes ____ No ____

Horn is operational? Yes ____ No ____

Owner’s safety manual is accessible? Yes ____ No ____

Seatbelts are operable and in good condition Yes ____ No ____

Door locks are operable Yes ____ No ____

The tire jack and wrench are present and accessible? Yes ____ No ____

Emergency Kit is present and accessible? Yes ____ No ____
Jumper cables 
Tire gauge 
Can of tire sealer-inflator 
Flashlight 
Winter gloves, hat, blanket 
Basic took kit with screwdrivers and pliers 
2 bottles of drinking water and energy bars 

Other items to consider if you travel frequently: spare headlamp bulb, extra fuses, engine oil, washer fluid, emergency triangle or flares, antifreeze, duct tape, spare ignition key, etc.

Repairs Needed:
____________________________________________________________________________________

Repair / Inspection Comments:
____________________________________________________________________________________

Employees who took advantage of the free vehicle checks also had the chance to win a fully stocked Vehicle Emergency kit. Don't wait until the "Check Engine" light comes on in the middle of a blizzard. Check your vehicle now so that you can handle what's bound to come our way over the next couple of months!