Selby motorists are being urged to take advantage of a free car safety day at the town's fire station this weekend.

Ahead of a potentially treacherous winter, drivers are warned to make sure their car is in a safe and roadworthy condition.

The open day at Selby fire station will allow motorists to benefit from a free health-check on their car, and also how to routinely check its condition.

Selby firefighters, local police and a North Yorkshire County Council road safety officer will all be in attendance at the event.

The key points in the check-list include:

Tyres - pressure, tread and wear

Fluids - oil, radiator, washer bottles and brakes

Lights - front, back, brake and hazards

Windows - screen wipers and demister.

Station manager Colin Hunter said: "The objective is to educate the public in basic safety checks for their vehicle. Road traffic accident reduction is a high priority for North Yorkshire firefighters and our partners.

"Keeping a vehicle in good condition is especially important during the difficult winter conditions. We are keen to target all members of the public, but especially those who have never done any vehicle checks whatsoever."

He said previous open days and evidence from talking to local people showed that many people did not know how to regularly check their car for faults. "There are not many people who routinely check their vehicle, and for a lot of them it's because they do not know what to look for.

"They do not know what the tyre pressure should be, for instance," he said.

"What I want people to do is come along, and we will show people what we look for on a fire engine when we do our weekly check. It's the same things they can do on their cars."

He said: "We want to target people like young mums, who may, for a lot of the time, be going round with young children and shopping, and for whom tyre pressures are even more important."

Selby fire station has previously held car-seat open days, showing people how to properly fit child seats in cars. Mr Hunter said these had been highly successful, and he was hopeful this weekend's open day would also be a success. The car safety day is at Selby Fire Station on Saturday, from 10am to 4pm. The first 100 visitors will get a free tyre-pressure gauge.

Updated: 11:26 Monday, November 14, 2005