Proper vehicle lighting will be vital to safety when daylight-savings time ends on October 30. To prepare for fewer hours of daylight and the extra hours of darkness, the Car Care Council encourages motorists to take a few minutes to inspect their vehicles to ensure that all of the lights are working properly.

The Car Care Council recommends checking all vehicle lighting on a monthly basis, including the headlights, turn signals, brake lights, side lights, parking lights, tail lights, backup lights and license plate lights. Whether you do it yourself or visit a professional automotive technician, it is important to repair or replace non-functioning lights immediately.

Something as simple as a burnt-out brake light could potentially have major consequences. Results of vehicle inspections during National Car Care Month found:

• 8 percent of vehicles inspected needed work on at least one of their turn signals.

• 6 percent of vehicles had problems with at least one of their brake lights.

• 5 percent of vehicles failed their side light inspection.

• 1 percent of vehicles failed the inspection for their headlights, parking lights, tail lights, backup lights and license plate lights.

Proper vehicle lighting will be vital to safety when daylight-savings time ends on October 26. To prepare for fewer hours of daylight and the extra hours of darkness, the Car Care Council encourages motorists to take a few minutes to inspect their vehicles to ensure that all of the lights are working properly.

The Car Care Council recommends checking all vehicle lighting on a monthly basis, including the headlights, turn signals, brake lights, side lights, parking lights, tail lights, backup lights and license plate lights. Whether you do it yourself or visit a professional automotive technician, it is important to repair or replace non-functioning lights immediately.

"Despite all of the reminders and warnings about the importance of keeping up with vehicle maintenance, there are still motorists that don't take it seriously," said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. "Something as simple as a burnt-out brake light could potentially have major consequences."

Results of vehicle inspections during National Car Care Month found:

• 8 percent of vehicles inspected needed work on at least one of their turn signals
• 6 percent of vehicles had problems with at least one of their brake lights
• 5 percent of vehicles failed their side light inspection
• 1 percent of vehicles failed the inspection for their headlights, parking lights, tail lights, backup lights and license plate lights.

As part of the "Be Car Care Aware" education campaign, the Car Care Council is offering a free service interval schedule to help take the guesswork out of what vehicle systems need to be routinely inspected and when service or repair should be performed. The schedule can be printed for free from the Car Care Council's Web site at www.carcare.org.

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers.

Source: Car Care Council