The rules of the road don't just include using your turn signal and not tailgating the guy ahead of you while driving, but also keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape. Unfortunately, a new study says around twenty-three percent of Californian commuters are putting their lives on the line everyday just by getting into cars that have unfixed recalls.
CarFax spokesman Christopher Basso says most drivers aren't aware of any issues with their vehicles.
"These are safety issues that could cause fires, crashes, exploding airbags, things that put the passengers in those vehicles that are recalled at risk, but other people on the road as well."
Basso says that nearly one out of every four cars on California roadways has some kind of unfixed recall issue with it. That adds up to over 7 million unsafe vehicles on the state's highways. Basso says too many people end up underestimating how important fixing recalls without realizing the disastrous consequences.
"Whether it be that we think it's not a big deal - it's not gonna happen to us. Or we just don't think we have the time to do it. But in reality, most of these recalls can be fixed in less than a day," said Basso.
According to Basso, one reason why people leave their recalls unfixed is because they simply can't afford to go without their vehicles.
"They're multi-purpose vehicles that busy families, or businesses are utilizing." Basso said. "And taking those vehicles off the road, even for a short amount of time, is a crimp in our style, whether be to our business or to get our families around for everyday tasks."
Fixing recalled vehicles is a fairly easy process Basso says. Most recall fixes can be done within a matter of hours, and most often, the maintenance is performed for free.
If you're wondering about your car and if there might be any issues you need to get fixed, you can look it up on Recalls.gov.
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