adminGood Friday falls on 6 April and two days later, there will be Easter Sunday on 8 April while Monday, 9 April, is Easter Monday.
Christians the world over will mark the holiday in prayer and festivities. Zimbabwe being a largely Christian country, will not be left out.
With the national economy showing genuine signs of recovery, enhancing workers’ disposable incomes, hordes of people are likely to travel to their rural homes or to holiday resorts to rest. In many respects, the Easter holiday is the second busiest period on the national calendar after Christmas.
The well-heeled will be travelling to holiday destinations like Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Kariba, Gonarezhou National Park and the Eastern Highlands to spend the holiday.
During that time, because of an increase in road traffic and general excitement among the people, accidents are common. Apart from that, because people will leave their homes in urban areas, some unoccupied, they expose their properties to burglars.
It is because of this that every year the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe and their partners intensify their road safety campaigns, which seek to ensure that the festive mood is not disturbed by road accidents.
Similar campaigns are mounted during the festive season. In Bulawayo, the campaigns often target various strategic places such as Macs Garage, Bellevue Spar, Egodini and Renkini Long Distance Bus Terminus.
Macs Garage, situated along Leopold Takawira Avenue between Josiah Tongogara and Samuel Parirenyatwa streets, is very busy during this time of the year as travellers look for transport to Masvingo, Mutare, Gwanda and Beitbridge. The area around Bellevue Spar is the pick-up point for people travelling to Botswana and Plumtree. Renkini and Egodini are also busy during these times. Egodini is Bulawayo’s busiest terminus for intra-city travellers using public commuter transport, while Renkini is used by those travelling out of Bulawayo or into Bulawayo using long-distance buses.
Normally, people are expected to start travelling from Thursday morning, 5 April, the day before Good Friday, returning to their bases on Easter Monday. So traffic is at its peak on these two days.
It is hoped that as usual, police and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe will maintain visibility again this Easter to ensure safe driving. On their part, police often mount roadblocks on most roads to check whether or not vehicles are roadworthy and stamp out speeding and other road offences. They will also be urging motorists to observe road regulations when driving.
Driving this Easter, motorists need to ensure that their vehicles are in proper condition and always be on the lookout for defects on their cars and warning signs that modern machines communicate with their drivers.
Simply knowing how to drive a vehicle is no longer enough these days. It is important that you are able to know the basic signs in case your vehicle is facing any trouble.
The thing about cars is that if you are not able to pick up warning signs quite early on, they can turn into more severe and costly problems later on in the future. There are a number of warning signs that a vehicle can give you. However we are going to take a look at the five most important ones.
Warning 1
One of the most common warnings that a person can experience while driving a car is when the “engine oil” light activates. This is the red light that usually comes on in the dashboard region in the shape of an oil can. This light always comes on when you turn the ignition key half way. This light should disappear when you start the car, however if the light comes on while driving you are advised to stop driving. That particular light indicates that the oil in your engine is very low. If you continue to drive the vehicle when it is low on engine oil, it could seize your engine. The repair costs for this would be quite expensive.
Warning 2
Another warning that your vehicle could give will be the “ABS” light warning signal. This is in relation to your anti-lock braking system. An ABS system is only found in most of the new cars. This light usually comes on where there is an electrical fault or something is wrong with your braking system. If you happen to come across such a light on your dashboard region, it is advised that you get it checked out by a mechanic immediately.
Warning 3
This particular warning sign can usually throw many people off-guard. However it is not something to worry about. This is a particular light that comes on in the dashboard area in the shape of a tap/exhaust. This light usually only comes on when the engine is cold. Seeing that the winter months can get quite cold in most countries, this light usually goes off once and when you have warmed up your vehicle.
Warning 4
This warning is not in relation to a particular light, it is more to do with the steering wheel of the car. If you do not hold your steering wheel straight, your vehicle should still move in a straight line.
There are times when your vehicle may pull to either the right or left side. In this case your car is out of alignment. It is advised that you get this sorted out as soon as possible. Not having your alignment straight can put a lot of strain on your vehicle’s engine and, as a result can reduce car performance. With advancements in technology, you can now get your vehicle’s wheel alignment done in a matter of 15 minutes from most garages.
Warning 5
This is another warning that is not indicated by a light on the dashboard. It is related to the braking system of the car.
There may be times when you brake the car and you may hear a skidding noise or something grinding. If this is the case you can have a possibility of two problems: the first being that your brake fluid is quite low, the second is worn-out brake pads.
Car braking systems require a lubricant to ensure that the braking happens smoothly. If this is the case, all you are required to do is top up your brake fluid and that can be done by simply lifting the car bonnet. If the problem still remains persistent, you may be required to change the brake pads of the car.
There are many ways through which you can make your car last for a longer time. Seeing as we are now faced with tough economic times, many of us no longer have the luxury to be able to change cars every year.
As a result, we all need to look at possible ways by which we can make our vehicles last for a longer time. A recent research showed that if we made a few small changes in the way we drive and take care of our vehicles, we all will be able to make them last for another 10 years at least.
Even though brand new cars are being released into the market on a yearly basis. Cars are no longer built in the way that they used to. Trying to preserve an old car to last longer would be your better option.
Online Reporter