- A Honda Civic driving down Salem Avenue in Harrison Twp. had a badly cracked windshield, a missing headlight and a damaged bumper.
- A Chevrolet truck in traffic on South Edwin C. Moses Boulevard had a cracked windshield and front-end damage that caused the hood to stick up and jut out.
- A Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped at a red light in East Dayton was missing the entire front bumper, exposing the engine and mechanical parts.
Law enforcement and traffic safety groups say drivers put themselves and others at risk by driving around in damaged vehicles — and it is illegal and potentially dangerous to operate vehicles with what some might assume are minor or innocuous equipment problems.
Auto repairs are not cheap. But officials say delaying fixes for pocketbook reasons can backfire badly, and owners could end up facing much more expensive bills down the line or other headaches and trouble, especially if their vehicles end up being involved in a crash.
“We take the condition of a vehicle into consideration when we are looking at a crash,” said Dayton police Sgt. Gordon Cairns, supervisor of the department’s traffic services unit. “I’ve seen some vehicles that should not be on the road.”
Bad condition
State law prohibits drivers from operating vehicles that lack bumpers, or two working headlights or brake lights, or that have damaged or cracked windshields, said Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Tyler Ross. Motorists also are not allowed to drive vehicles that have bald or partially deflated tires.
State troopers last year issued 720 citations across the state for operating vehicles with equipment violations that make them unsafe, including about 100 tickets in Butler, Champaign, Clark, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Warren counties, officials said.
Broken, cracked and damaged windshields are illegal because they can obscure and obstruct people’s field of vision, Sgt. Ross said. He said vehicles need working brake lights, headlights and turn signals to properly communicate with other drivers on the road, especially at night and during times of poor visibility.
“Not having working headlights that are visible to other motorists also inhibits their ability to see your vehicle at all, or the width of your vehicle to properly navigate (and) share the roadway with you,” Ross said.
Although authorities say driver error is to blame for most car crashes, missing, damaged and nonfunctioning equipment sometimes plays a role in collisions. Last year, there were more than 1,600 crashes on Ohio’s roadways that involved defective equipment, including about 245 incidents in the local seven-county region, the state patrol said.
Many of these crashes were tied to tire blowouts, brake issues, steering problems and motor troubles, the state patrol said.
“Equipment and defect-related crashes are preventable. These issues should be addressed right away,” Ross said. “This should become a priority for you if your vehicle has a defect or equipment issue, you are driving a deadly weapon on our roadways and should take it seriously and do it responsibly.”
Bald tires, with low tread, are dangerous because they are more likely to lead to skidding or hydroplaning, and they require longer braking distances and are more likely to puncture or blow out.
Some damaged vehicles may be in better shape than they look, and the problems are mainly cosmetic. But damaged vehicles in general are more likely to malfunction and be involved in an automobile crash. Modern vehicles are designed with safety features like crumple zones and airbag sensors that rely on precise engineering, according to Medines Collison Center.
Severe damage that impacts the frame can reduce an automobile’s ability to protect drivers and passengers if there is a collision, said Lori Weaver Hawkins, manager of public and government affairs with AAA Club Alliance. A missing bumper can jeopardize a car’s or truck’s ability to absorb shock.
Damage can interfere with handling, stability and overall roadway performance and impair safety features, like airbags and seatbelts, Weaver Hawkins said.
“When your vehicle has dents or missing components due to unrepaired damage or lack of maintenance, safety is compromised and the value of your vehicle is diminished‚” she said. “And while a dent may look superficial, it has the potential to cause underlying structural damage, affect your car’s aerodynamics and balance, and potentially even lead to misalignment of steering or suspension components, depending on location and severity.”
Car repairs can be pricey: Bumpers, windshields, side mirrors and tires can cost hundreds of dollars or more to replace.
A survey of 1,000 U.S. adults a couple of years ago found that more than half could not handle an emergency repair bill over $1,000 and a quarter of respondents said they could afford costs over $500.
However, safety groups say delaying repairs can cause equipment and car performance problems to worsen, requiring much more expensive fixes down the road.
If a damaged car gets into a crash, the motorist potentially could face financial and legal penalties if an investigation determines that they were knowingly driving a vehicle with safety issues.
Dayton police Sgt. Cairns said police understand and are sympathetic that community members rely on their personal vehicles to get to and from work, school and other important activities.
Officers do not want people to lose their main mode of transportation, and police in general are not writing lots of tickets for minor equipment violations, he said.
However, Cairns said police are responsible for trying to improve traffic safety, and officers want to educate motorists about potential dangers. He said they routinely issue warnings to motorists for lesser offenses.
“We’re not out writing a whole bunch of cracked windshield (citations), but we might pull you over and say, ‘Hey that is illegal, please get it fixed because it is dangerous,’” he said. “We need to explain to people that your vehicle could potentially cause a catastrophic event, like a crash that could end up having someone lose their life.”
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