For some people, the fact that you shouldn’t be driving around with these things should be pretty darn obvious. But seeing as a lot of people keep doing driving around with these things, perhaps it’s really not all that obvious enough. So here we go: here is a list of seven things you definitely shouldn’t be driving around with!

A broken tail light

You see it all the time in movies and TV shows. Some mastermind criminal is riding around in his car with evidence of their crime and they end up being foiled because of a broken tail light. If the cops see it, they will pull you over for it. After all, you can’t signal turns or braking properly if the lights at the back aren’t working properly. There are quite a lot of reasons a tail light could be broken. Fix it asap!

A cracked windshield

Cops are gonna pull you over for this one, too. A cracked windshield presents a huge safety risk for you. The strength of the windshield has been compromised. That crack means that the entire thing is much more likely to break if you get into a car accident. And you’re definitely more likely to get into a car accident with a cracked windshield, simply because you’re less likely to be able to see all of the road. Think about it: is your vision 100% if you walk around with cracked glasses?

Booze and drugs

If you’re driving around with a bottle of beer in one hand and a joint hanging from your mouth, you’re asking for trouble. Never underestimate the effects that alcohol and other drugs can have on your ability to drive. You may feel okay to drive. But you’re probably not okay to drive. Even if there was that one time you somehow managed to get from A to B without injuring anyone or getting arrested, don’t do it. We shouldn’t really have to list this one, right?

A phone in your hand

Distracted driving is still one of the biggest causes of vehicular accidents in the country. If you’ve got your phone out while you’re driving, there’s pretty much no excuse the authorities are going to accept. You’re best off investing in some hands-free Bluetooth phone sets for your car. Distracted driving through the use of a smartphone is commonly cited as the most common cause of car accidents, despite the fact that smartphone use while driving is illegal across the country. Don’t get cocky: multitasking in any field will always result in decreased performance overall (despite what some may claim about their own abilities). This goes double, triple, quadruple for driving.

Flat tyre

You saw your try was a little flat, but you decided to give it a go anyway. Success! It’s a little awkward, but it still turns around okay. So you’re still good to go, right? Wrong. The integrity of your tyre has been compromised. It will affect your ability to brake and speed up as needed. It probably won’t get you arrested, but that’s because a cop might not notice it. You should look into getting that tyre fixed or replaced.

Dodgy brakes

This one should seem pretty obvious. But people actually do go out driving even though their brakes aren’t working perfectly. If you’ve noticed any change in the way your brakes function, get them fixed immediately. Your driving habits are hugely reliant on how long it takes you to brake. Safe driving requires you to be able to stop almost on command and to have a consistent idea of how long it will take your car to stop when hitting the brake at a given speed. If that information is a mystery to you, then you’re putting yourself (and other people) in severe danger. Get them seen to as soon as possible.

Windows down, music turnt up

Yeah, maybe that new track by Drake or whoever is pretty dope. But that doesn’t mean you should have it cranked to full volume from your car stereo. For one thing, it will annoy even the most ardent of Drake fans in the vicinity. You’re putting yourself at risk of being arrested for causing a public disturbance. This is especially true if you’re doing it really late at night around residential areas, which is something a lot of people seem to really love doing. But listening to music so loud actually presents a danger to you. And that danger isn’t just to your long-term hearing – though loud music is definitely going to damage your eardrums, which won’t exactly make you a safer driver.