Car accessories are usually add-ons or extra features used to either upgrade a vehicle or enhance its present capabilities. This explains why there are two types of auto accessories, namely, essential and non-essential. The first works on helping improve the performance of your car while the second has to do more with enhancing its appeal and appearance.
Benefits of Car Add-ons
Apart from providing additional car protection, automobile accessories offer many other benefits that often entice car owners to make the expected purchase. These Include:
1. Aesthetics
These are accessories designed to make your car stand out from other vehicles. Often, they have something different or unique like lashes for your headlight.
2. Cleanliness
These are created mainly to help keep your car clean and well- maintained. Classic examples of these are seat covers and floor mats.
3. Entertainment
Accessories that fall under this category are meant to keep you entertained while you’re on the road. Typically, this includes the car stereo system, but recent advancements have made it possible for a TV theater system to be installed on any vehicle.
4. Emergency
These are useful car accessories that you can rely on when faced with a road emergency. A first aid kit, ropes, and jumper cables are common examples of this type of accessory.
6. Practicality
Some add-ons are essential car accessories because they either give you better security as in the case of rear parking cameras or help facilitate your driving under certain weather conditions like fog lights.
10 Vehicle Accessories That Could Lead to a Road Accident
While car manufacturers are committed to building safe and functional autos, many aftermarket accessories sometimes have different car protection standards. Below are some vehicle accessories that may put you in danger while on the road.
1. GPS System
A GPS system is seen as one of the essential car accessories for many motorists since it helps them know where they are going. Unfortunately, it’s one modern accessory that can be distracting. According to Privilege Insurance, 19% of GPS users often lose while driving.
A simple solution to this distraction is to set the GPS to your intended destination before you take off with your car. This should allow you to focus on the road while behind the wheel, which is the hallmark of safe driving.
2. Musical Car Horn
Car advancements have made it possible to download a car horn system and install it in your vehicle. What makes this accessory unique is that it’s capable of playing a wide range of music, including pop, Christmas, and reggae. Some car horns can even be set up to play MP3s.
These systems are unlike car PA systems wherein you can play or say anything you want through a handheld microphone. Rather, these musical car horns can be used to replace your existing one, enabling you to readily attract the attention of both pedestrians and motorists. While they are undoubtedly attractions, these car horns can also surprise or even scare other people, and may lead to accidents.
3. Cup Holders
Driving while drinking is dangerous, and this applies to alcoholic beverages as well as all other drinks. Aftermarket cup holders, however, have made things more dangerous. With these innovative accessories for cars, you can buy a cup of hot coffee from a drive-thru store, place it on your cup holder, and continue with your driving.
This is an accident waiting to happen because it’s possible that you might accidentally drop that cup of hot coffee while reaching for the holder. The contents can quickly pour down into your lap and make a big mess on your pants and on your car.
4. Dash-mounted TV Screen
A 2009 Nielsen report showed that Americans watch 151 hours of TV every month. This is approximately five hours of television per day, and this includes watching from a dashboard-mounted mini-TV.
Installing that mini-TV on your car dashboard is hardly difficult, thanks to the multitude of DIY and how-to articles about this that can be easily accessed online. While they are designed primarily for entertainment, this modern car accessory is a major cause of distraction for drivers.
5. Lift Kits
Lift kits are hardly car safety accessories as they can actually put your life in danger. That’s because your car is positioned against gravity, and there’s a possibility that your vehicle will flip over, especially if it gets involved in a road accident.
It might be cool to be seen driving a lifted car. Still, is it worth taking the risk, knowing that there are serious dangers involved?
6. Yellow-Colored Fog Lights
Fog can make your road vision blurry, but a yellow- colored fog light can cut through this better than your car’s built-in headlights. Unfortunately, this is not an accurate claim. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ask a Scientist program, yellow fog lights do look good, but they are distracting, especially for drivers trying to find their way through the fog but are on the other side of the road.
7. Blackout Kits
Some car lovers find it exciting to change the colors of many built-in lights of their vehicles, including driving lights, reverse lights, and even taillights. Others opt to remove holes from the car’s body so they can install their preferred set of lights.
Actually, these so-called blackout lights are not legal on street-driven cars, and are only intended for showroom or display purposes. Yet, many car accessories ideas about these can be found in various online forums.
Vehicle lights are there for a reason. They allow you to see where you are going even as others can see you. In short, they are meant to keep you safe while driving, and changing them in favor of blackouts means you’re not concerned about your safety.
8. Limo Tints
Tinted windows not only block 65 percent of the solar heat and 99.9% of its harmful ultraviolet radiation, they are also considered by many as totally cool. Still, it is important to weigh the benefits and dangers of these car safety accessories before you take your auto to the local detailer.
For starters, car tints effectively reduce visibility from your back windows during lane changes. Tinting can also limit eye contact with pedestrians and other drivers, exposing you to great danger.
9. In-car Microwave
These are among several innovative vehicle accessories although they are not found in many vehicles. The in-car microwave, powered by your car’s plug-in cigarette lighter, is so amazing but one bad invention.
The mini microwave is just one of many dangerous in-car appliances. It may help you do things that you could not do at home because of a hectic work schedule. However, they distract you from the main reason for using a car, that is, to get you from place to place and to get there safely.
10. Utility Trailers
There’s actually a debate on whether a utility trailer is a real accessory. The answer is yes, and it happens to be one of the most dangerous post-market add-ons that any vehicle can use. USA Today reports that there is more than one fatality per day in the United States due to crashes involving passenger towing trailers. The deaths are often caused by improperly secured trailers.
Northwest Collision Center Can Help You Get Safe and Reliable Accessories for Your Car
If you’re looking to enhance the look of your car or want to improve its road performance, Northwest Collision Center is the expert that can help you out.
We have a wide range of auto repair and enhancement services and the best car accessories. One of these could be perfect for you and your vehicle. We have a specialist at our auto body shop in St. Petersburg, FL, who can help you make the right choice. Call us now to learn about all our top-notch services.