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How to Safely Back Out of the Driveway

Posted on March 27, 2010
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Backing out of a driveway is something every driver should know. But there are accidents that happen while motorists are doing this.

Walk around your car just to ensure that there are no pets, toys, or children in the way. Move obstacles out of the way and have another adult see to children while you are backing out.

While backing out, make sure that you position yourself so that you can look out the rear window while your car is in reverse. This will give you a better viewing access, making sure that you won’t run over anything or anyone.

Do not press on the gas pedal hard when you back out of the driveway. Do it slowly but surely. If you’re new at this, take note that the tires go opposite the direction of your steering.

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Get Better at Parallel Parking [Video Demonstration]

Posted on March 17, 2010
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We all had that someone—mom, dad, aunt, neighbor—who told us everything we needed to know about parallel parking. Over time, we lose some of it, and pick up bad habits. Drop back into driver's ed with a smart video. More »






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Adjust Your Car Mirrors to Fully Cover Your Blind Spots [Driving]

Posted on February 15, 2010
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The way most drivers, and car makers, keep their side mirrors doesn’t actually cover the blind spot outside the driver’s vision. Car and Driver illustrates a car mirror setup that, once you get used to it, could prevent lane change freak-outs.

The auto magazine culls its mirror alignment diagram from a paper published in 1995 by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). That paper suggested, basically, moving your side mirrors to point further out into adjacent lanes, a trick that can take some getting used to:

The paper advocates adjusting the mirrors so far outward that the viewing angle of the side mirrors just overlaps that of the cabin’s rearview mirror. This can be disorienting for drivers used to seeing the flanks of their own car in the side mirrors. But when correctly positioned, the mirrors negate a car’s blind spots. This obviates the need to glance over your shoulder to safely change lanes as well as the need for an expensive blind-spot warning system.

So the trick is to get the side mirrors aligned just outside what your rearview mirror covers, and rely on your own vision to cover the areas in your peripheral vision. Neat trick, but as the magazine (and their commenters) mention, you’ll want to train yourself on a neighborhood road before taking this setup out on the interstate.

Check out the Car and Driver post for a full look and explanation of the SAE-approved side mirror setup. Got a better solution to your side mirror setup? Do tell in the comments. Thanks for the link, cipheroid!.






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Make an Adjustable Car Dock for $2 [DIY]

Posted on January 21, 2010
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Car mounts for GPS gadgets and smartphones are usually pretty costly, and they often only fit one device. DIY website Instructables features a simple guide for building your own that will fit virtually any—and for only about $2 in materials.

Especially now that smartphones are beginning to replace our dedicated GPS devices, you might need a new dock for your car—in fact, you may find yourself needing a new one every few years. Save yourself the cost by building one that will fit multiple devices, using just a few household materials.

The mount relies on a small nook or niche in your car to fit the base into, which shouldn't be hard for a lot of cars. All it requires is some PVC piping, sheet foam (preferably of the self-adhesive variety), and a little heavy-duty plastic-coated wire. Building it is a cinch—it shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes to hack one together, and doesn't require anything more than some scissors and pliers. And, you'll never have to plop down $30 for a mount again, no matter how many smartphones you go through in a year. Hit the link for the full instructions.






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AccidentSketch Helps You Create Detailed Accident Reports [Driving]

Posted on October 28, 2009
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Accidents happen to even the most cautious drivers. If you find yourself in one, AccidentSketch is a simple web-based tool that can help you draw up a picture and generate a report to give to your insurance company.

AccidentSketch uses a simple template system. Cars, road segments, signs, pedestrians, and more all snap to the grid and in the case of small objects like signs can be moved from there. You can change the colors of things, zoom in and out to get as close or wide as you need, and even assign information to parties involved like the license plate numbers of the cars in the accident.

Once you create a diagram you can also generate a text-based report to fill in details that can’t be easily conveyed by the picture. When you’re done you’ve got a tidy accident sketch and report to submit to the interested parties. The service is free and requires no registration.

Have a handy tool and tidbit for dealing with insurance companies and life after a fender-bender? Let’s hear about it in the comments.






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BestParking Helps You Find Cheap Parking in Major Cities and Airports [Parking]

Posted on July 29, 2009
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You need to park your car and you’re crunched for time. You’re not in a position to comparison shop parking rates. Thankfully BestParking has already crunched the numbers for you and can help you find the best rate.

How much can you save by comparison shopping? In our tests there was a surprising disparity between the highest priced and lowest priced parking area. In the screenshot above, for example, we searched for parking around Detroit Metro. Among the airport parking garages there was an almost 100% difference between the highest price and the lowest price for parking.

That kind of price gap isn’t a big deal if you’re only parking for a single day and are willing to pay a little surcharge for convenience but if you’re plunking your car in long term parking for a week you could save yourself some serious cash by picking the right lot.

If you didn’t plot out which parking garage to use ahead of time, fire up the browser on your mobile phone and head to the mobile version of BestParking to get a last minute rate check. Have a trick or two for scoring cheap parking while traveling? Share them in the comments.





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Recharge Your Car’s Air Conditioner [Beat The Heat]

Posted on July 16, 2009
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If you have a car that isn’t showroom fresh anymore, there’s also a good chance it’s lost a little of its air conditioning mojo. Get things icy cool again with this simple fix.

Photo by Dan Bock.

First, a disclaimer. If your air conditioning is completely dysfunctional and doesn’t cool the air at all when it’s on, it’s probably best to brave the bill and go get it checked out by a professional. On the other hand, if your air conditioner is functional but lacks the frosty punch it used to have, you can easily recharge the coolant and get things back to their previous knuckle-freezing glory.

How-to site wikiHow features a step-by-step guide to recharging the refrigerant in your car's cooling system. The tutorial includes some pretty stern (and justifiably so) warnings, but speaking from experience—I've recharged around a dozen vehicles both for myself and friends—it's a really straightforward tune as long as you follow the instructions.

A few things we’d recommend should you decided to recharge your air conditioning: Put a meat thermometer in the vents to get a baseline temperature so you can see if your recharge job lowers the temp enough, and spend the extra few bucks to get a pressure valve so you’re not left guessing if you’re under or overpressurizing your system.

If a simple top off doesn’t do it, make sure to read this primer from the EPA before taking it in to get looked at by a professional. Tuned up your own air conditioner before? Let’s hear about it in the comments.





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Car Accident Checklist Lessens Post-Accident Stress [Driving]

Posted on June 9, 2009
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Even a minor fender bender can make your nerves run amuck. Having an accident checklist on hand can make the situation less stressful so you can get the important information you need.

Photo by Oneras

Reader Chris points us to a free auto accident check list that his mother-in-law printed out and placed in his glove box, explaining that it came in very handy after he was rear-ended on his way home from work recently. The ten-point list is full of important reminder, including what information you should collect from the other driver(s) and any witnesses, what you should do if you can’t safely get out of the way of traffic, and how to create an accident diagram.

Another important step to remember, assuming you’ve got even a cameraphone on hand, is to take lots of pictures:

Take pictures of everything involved in the car accident, as long as it can be done safely. These pictures should include each car driver, each automobile in the car accident showing any property damage, skid marks, any other damage to property, as well as the location of the automobile accident. The more pictures the better. When in doubt, take pictures. It is a good idea to keep a disposable camera in your glove compartment or trunk. If there are no other cameras available, then you should use a cell phone camera. Pictures may help your automobile insurance company determine how much you should be paid for your injuries.

Having a checklist on hand and knowing what information you need to collect will definitely help you get through the moments after an accident. What got you through an accident? What did you find to be invaluable in the moments after a car accident? Share your experiences in the comments below. Thanks Chris!

Auto Accident Checklist [Serious Accidents]





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