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(Elbil24): Every year, more than 45,000 car damage occurs, which includes a broken door, fender, bumper or taillight. It shows analyzes conducted by Frende Insurance.
– We get to report such injuries every single day, says head of department Roger Ytre-Hauge in Frende in a press release.
The autumn darkness has subsided in Norway and is contributing to an increase in the number of accidents. Last autumn, each accident cost an average of NOK 20,000 to repair. Bård Morten Johansen in Trygg Trafikk is not surprised that the number of accidents is escalating.
Low sun, twilight and darkness make it more demanding to drive a car.
– We think that collisions in the autumn months or in the pre-winter have to do with daily activities. There is often increased activity and stress in combination with varying visibility and driving conditions, says Johansen.
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– Do not trust the car
Trygg Trafikk points out that many accidents are due to the roads becoming smoother at this time of year. Not all change tires on time. And if you think brand new summer tires can do the job when the first snow falls, you should read this.
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– The smoothness comes just as surprisingly every year, says Johansen.
He advises you to use your eyes and warns against blindly relying on parking assistance when reversing or parking your car.
– The audio signal from the back sensor is distributed to the speakers in the car to simulate the source of the obstacle. You must still use your eyes forward, backward and to the sides. It is not always easy to interpret the direction of the audio signal, says Johansen.
He reminds you that you may think it beeps because you are close to an obstacle in front of the car, but that the obstacle has actually appeared behind the car.
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– Resist temptations
With the technological development, screens in new cars have become standard. Frende and Trygg Trafikk ask you to avoid distractions behind the wheel and remind you of the importance of keeping your attention on the road.
– The ability to resist temptation, ie to avoid looking at things you should not look at while driving, is important. This applies to both mobile phones, tablets, passengers and temptations outside the car, says Johansen in Trygg Trafikk.
– With good attention, you discover obstacles early. It gives you a better opportunity to choose the right speed in situations and it enables you to follow a plan while driving, and react quickly if something happens, says Ytre-Hauge in Frende.
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If you react quickly, you reduce the risk of accidents. It improves your and others’ safety – and prevents your wallet from being emptied.
The average price per accident last autumn was thus NOK 20,000, despite the fact that accidents are often small dents after collisions with fences, garage posts and the like.
– The reason for the expensive repairs is that cars more often have expensive equipment such as sensors, cameras and radar in the front that reads the traffic picture. When the body of the car gets a hit, the equipment is also damaged, says Ytre-Hauge.
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Last autumn, Norwegians crashed for a total of NOK 1.5 billion, according to Finans Norge. That is more than NOK 16 million every single day.
– We see an increase in the number of collisions in the autumn and winter. We are heading into a half year with more weather, poorer visibility, darker times and smoother roads. And then you have cold and half-tired drivers behind the wheel, says Ytre-Hauge in Frende.
They list a number of points that can be useful to take with you into the autumn darkness:
Tips and tricks:
- Wash the windscreen (also on the inside)
Check if your wipers are good enough and check that all the lights (low beam and high beam) work. Remember that darker days and low sun increase the requirements for good visibility. - Wash the car regularly
Do this through the fall and winter, but avoid washing it on days with minus degrees. - Get yourself a silicone pen
Use this on the rubber strips after you have washed the car. You can find this at the gas station or in car supply stores. - Tape over keyholes when washing car
All tape works, the point is just that it should be tight so that water does not flow freely into the door lock and freeze to ice on cold days. - Replace pollen filter once a year
A tight filter affects the heating system. You can change the filter yourself, but it may be okay to let employees at a gas station or garage do this job. - Get yourself a locking oil
Lubricate all locks with this, so you avoid locking yourself out of the car. Locking oil can be found at the gas station or in car supply stores. - Clean the car of loose objects
This of course applies throughout the year. Should the accident occur, you will not have any objects flying through the air. - Polish the car before salting the roads
This can help prevent your car from being damaged. You can do this yourself, or you can deliver the car to a company that arranges it for you. There are many players in the market, and such a job usually costs between 1000 and 3000 kroner. - Have you had the car serviced?
Remember that you can get more of the tips covered above by sending the car for service.
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