From flat to fearless: Students learn how to master car safety

By Delphinah Sibanyoni

Picture this, you are driving alone at night, your tyre suddenly bursts, your phone shows no signal, and you realize you cannot change it yourself. In that exact moment, the ‘Her way or Highway’ car maintenance and tyre changing workshop hosted on the North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus would have been the lifeline you desperately needed.

The workshop was organised by the Transformation and Diversity committee, or TAD, of Dinki women’s residence in April. Students were taught how to change tyres, checks on oil, brake as well as wiper fluid.

 “This came from students admitting they don’t know anything about tyres,” said Zelrie Gagiano, Dinki house committee member and the organiser of the workshop.

The event was opened with three experts of Toyota Eastvaal in Potchefstroom presenting various roadside scenarios to those in attendance. Students learned how to pull over their vehicles safely, activate hazards and place warning triangles 30-50m behind them.

According to the presenters, drivers who got stuck at night should stay inside their cars, lock themselves in and call for help.

Tiaan Bezuidenhout, a representative from Toyota Eastvaal, told threestreamsmedia that car safety workshops were important because knowing what to do when you are alone in an emergency was  important – rather than relying on someone else to come and  help you .He added that if you did not know how to change a tyre, you might end up hurting yourself  or might get hijacked  while at it.

Practical guide to changing a tyre

During the practical training session students learnt more about safety protocols during unforeseen events such as tyre bursts. They also changed tyres.

The women loosened lug nuts anticlockwise while the car, which they practiced on, remained grounded. They then positioned Jacks at designated lift points followed by raising the vehicle until wheels cleared the ground. The next step was to remove the flat tyre safely and align the spare tyre ensuring that it is hand tightened. The last step was to lower the car gradually. Nuts were then put back in a star pattern for balance.

Maintenance training then continued under the hood, with the experts’ teaching students, through demonstrations, about weekly checks. These checks included checks on oil, brake as well as wiper fluid.

Danita van den Bergh, one of the students who attended the workshop, told threestreamsmedia the event helped her “Be aware of [your] surroundings. Context matters, highway or dirt road. Even [though I do not have my own] car, I can now help a friend change a tyre and keep us both safe.”