static void wdt_timer_tick(unsigned long data)
 {
        if (time_before(jiffies, next_heartbeat) ||
-          (!test_bit(WDOG_ACTIVE, &wdt_dev.status))) {
+          (!watchdog_active(&wdt_dev))) {
                wdt_reset();
                mod_timer(&timer, jiffies + WDT_HEARTBEAT);
        } else
 
 
 static int watchdog_ping(struct watchdog_device *wddev)
 {
-       if (test_bit(WDOG_ACTIVE, &wddev->status)) {
+       if (watchdog_active(wddev)) {
                if (wddev->ops->ping)
                        return wddev->ops->ping(wddev);  /* ping the watchdog */
                else
 {
        int err;
 
-       if (!test_bit(WDOG_ACTIVE, &wddev->status)) {
+       if (!watchdog_active(wddev)) {
                err = wddev->ops->start(wddev);
                if (err < 0)
                        return err;
                return err;
        }
 
-       if (test_bit(WDOG_ACTIVE, &wddev->status)) {
+       if (watchdog_active(wddev)) {
                err = wddev->ops->stop(wddev);
                if (err < 0)
                        return err;
 
 #define WATCHDOG_NOWAYOUT_INIT_STATUS  0
 #endif
 
+/* Use the following function to check wether or not the watchdog is active */
+static inline bool watchdog_active(struct watchdog_device *wdd)
+{
+       return test_bit(WDOG_ACTIVE, &wdd->status);
+}
+
 /* Use the following function to set the nowayout feature */
 static inline void watchdog_set_nowayout(struct watchdog_device *wdd, bool nowayout)
 {