It's hard to drive anywhere without seeing at least one or two automobiles proudly displaying their multi-sport roof racks. With the increased popularity of the multi-sport roof-racks, however, comes an increase in mishaps that can be prevented with a little common sense and practical rack safety.

Watching your $1,000 canoe bounce down the highway in your rear view mirror or hearing a crunch as an audible reminder that your $750 mountain bike is still on top of your car as you pull into a low clearance gas station are preventable occurrences that happen all too frequently.

Like your car, roof rack systems require maintenance and a certain amount of attention if you expect them to remain in safe working order. Periodically lubricate all locks, hubs, fastening bolts and knobs. Always remove your roof rack before running your car through a car wash. Dirt can collect under the pads of a rack and abrade away your car's paint. Clean the pads and the roof of your car monthly. Inspect your roof rack regularly for signs of wear. The plastic parts of a rack may fade over time, but color can be restored somewhat with a little Armor-All.

When carrying bikes above, find some way of reminding yourself to be aware of low clearances. Liston Concepts in Salt Lake City, Utah, manufactures a bright yellow arrow attached to a suction cup which you place on your window or rear view mirror anytime you have a bike on the rack. Neat idea, but you have to remember to use it.

Child seats and panniers can create extreme wind resistance that places unnecessary stress on the roof rack. Remove them when transporting bikes on a roof rack. Always load bikes with the chains to the inside. That prevents grease from getting all over you when you lift the bikes on and off.

Skis should always be mounted with tips facing to the rear. Sandwich skis bottom to bottom to prevent shifting within a ski mount. Worried about someone stealing your skis. While no rack is theft-proof, you can minimize quick snatches of equipment by making sure that the cross bars are close enough together so that the skis cannot be slid forward enough to remove the tails and then back to slip out the tips.

Never load sailboards or surfboards with the nose facing forward and in the up position. The upward wind force placed on the rack in this situation may be enough to literally tear the rack from your car. The recommended way to mount boards is with the nose forward and the bottom up, or the nose to the rear and bottom down.

Canoes and kayaks should always be secured by the bow and stern to the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle. This is in addition to the tie down straps across the body of the craft.

Multi-sport racks work well as utility racks, carrying anything from large boxes to construction materials. Never, however, exceed 150 lbs (100 lbs with Yakima SST racks). Secure the load properly with adequate tie down strapping. Disperse weight over the entire rack system keeping the heaviest loads nearest the towers and away from the middle of the rack where the load may bend the crossbars. Long loads must always be tied with additional strapping to the front and rear bumpers.

Does your rack whistle or whine in the wind when you drive? Try moving the rack forward or back. Next, try rearranging the load configuration. If none of those solutions work, some companies offer a fairing to minimize wind resistance and noise.