Everything Else « Driving & Safety

How To: Get a Free Tow Home This New Year's Instead of Leaving Your Car at the Bar (Or Driving, You Drunk Fool)

Assuming that you're not going to knit a sweater and celebrate New Year's Eve with Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy on ABC's “New Year's Rockin' Eve," it's a pretty safe bet to say that you're probably going to consume alcohol—a considerable amount of alcohol.

How To: How Anonymous Texting Can One Day Help You Avoid Tow Trucks, Parking Tickets, & Vandalized Cars

Parking. Ugh. Parking is about as fun as running through a swarm of bees while being chased by a pack of wolves from The Grey.

How To: Want to Find Your Stolen Car Fast? Forget the Police and Call a Taxi

A car is stolen every 33 seconds in the United States, and from that, the percentage of vehicles recovered in the first day is a whopping 52 percent. Over the next week, that number rises to around 79 percent, but after those initial seven days are up, it's unlikely the vehicle will be found.

How To: Find a Sweet Parking Spot at Peak Times (Then Locate Your Car Afterwards)

Living in Los Angeles has taught me one thing—parking is a luxury. If you are lucky enough to find street parking anywhere near your desired location, do not pass it up thinking you will get an even closer one. It does not exist. Looking for free parking? Get real. You can't even park at a busted meter in Los Angeles, despite state law saying otherwise. Now, finding a good parking spot is not just relevant for Los Angeles, but for other large cities and any other crowded areas, be it a shoppi...

Quick Tip: Pointing Your Car Remote at Your Head Increases Its Range

Keyless entry remotes are great, but they don't always work how you want them to. One of the most common complaints is that they just don't reach far enough, and there's nothing more annoying when you can't remember where you parked. After all, what's the point of having "remote" entry if you have to be right next to the car for it to work?

How To: Perform the Right Hand Reverse for Advanced Driving Tests in England

Here is a manoeuvre that you won't see every day. It is intended for drivers in commercial vehicles who cannot see to the rear. By reversing with the flow of traffic it is possible to see approaching vehicles through the front windscreen and the right hand kerb by looking down over your shoulder. This manoeuvre sometimes occurs on the ADI, Part 2 Test of driving ability.

How To: Park in a Bay to Driving Test Standards in England

Here is a video demonstration of the Bay Park. You will only be asked to do this if your local driving test centre has its own car park. Be careful when practising this as most car parks are privately owned and don't want learner drivers disturbing their customers. Make sure to look all around for pedestrians when you are doing this manoeuvre.

How To: Enter Address in Hyundai Tucson Navigation System

How to enter an address in the navigation (infotainment) system in a Hyundai Tucson (2015–2016 model, formerly known as ix35) as well as other Hyundai models with similar systems.

Skip the Long DMV Line: Renew Your Driver's License at a AAA Office Instead (No Membership Required)

If there's one way to get a visceral response from someone, it's bringing up the DMV. Regardless of the reason, whether it's the long lines, disgruntled employees, or just general inefficiency, I have yet to meet a single person who doesn't mind the trip. Just look at all those happy faces.

How To: Demonstrate the Reverse Park Manoeuvre on a Driving Test in England

Here we see how to do the reverse park manoeuvre to driving test standards. There is an explanation of the manoeuvre followed by an in-car demonstration. You will need to be diplomatic about where you practise this, and try not to annoy local residents by using their cars to park round too often. Keep the car slow and make sure you look all around for other vehicles and pedestrians.

How To: Perform the Turn in the Road Driving Test Manoeuvre in England

This video will show you how to perform the turn in the road driving test manoeuvre. Commonly know as the three point turn, it is used to turn the car around in the road to face the other way. You will need to keep the car slow and move the steering wheel quickly when you do this.

How To: Do the Left Hand Reverse for Driving Tests in England

Here is a video to help you with the left-hand reverse manoeuvre, which occurs on the driving test. There is a full explanation of the manoeuvre followed by an in-car demonstration. Make sure you keep your speed low and do plenty of observations when you perform this. It should help you along with your driving lessons.

How To: Deal with Pedestrian Crossings When Driving a Car in England

Here's a video on how to deal with pedestrian crossings in England. It's to help all of you taking driving lessons in Nottingham and the surrounding area, and can be used before or in-between your training.

How To: Deal with Roundabouts When Driving a Car in England

Here's an educational video about dealing with all types of roundabouts, suitable for those practising with driving in the Nottingham and surrounding area.

How To: Deal with Crossroads When Driving a Car in England

Now, here's a subject that has a lot of information in it. The brief for this is quite long, so you'll have to pay attention when taking driving lessons in Nottingham and the surrounding area.

How To: Emerge at T-Junctions When Driving a Car in England

Here's a very informative video for those of you learning to drive in the Nottingham and surrounding areas. We look at what to do when you get to the end of a road and you can't see what's coming from the sides. Keep slow so you can look, assess, decide and act upon what you see. You have to wait at a give way line and definitely stop at the stop sign. It's the law.

How To: Approach Junctions to Turn Left and Right When Driving a Car in England

Here is a video to help all of those who are learning to drive in the Nottingham and surrounding area. It is one of the most important topics in driving and needs a whole lot of skills to do properly.

How To: Meet Oncoming Traffic and Pass Parked Cars in England

Here is a video all about meeting other vehicles when you're having lessons with driving instructors in Nottingham and the surrounding area. It happens when you are passing parked cars and someone is coming the other way.

How To: Learn to Move Off and Stop When Driving a Car in England

This tutorial video is all about how to move off and stop and use your mirrors when taking driving lessons in Nottingham and the surrounding area.

How To: Are You Being Followed? How to Check Your Car for GPS Tracking Devices

There's been a lot in the news lately about tracking devices, and it's been pretty much all bad. They can be useful if your car gets stolen, but if you weren't the person who installed it, chances are you don't want it there. Just type "GPS tracking device" into Google and on any given day you'll find an article about someone who got busted by one of these things. Even if you don't have to worry about getting into trouble, you still don't want people following you. Here's how to make sure you...

How To: Jump start a car with a dead battery

You don't want to get stuck on the side of the road when your car's battery dies. Learn how to charge your car's battery off of someone else's using jumper cables. Don't let a dead battery leave you stranded! Every driver should know how to jump start a car.

How To: Start a car without needing the key

Please only use the information in this video if you have lost your own car key or you are helping out a friend who has lost theirs! If you need to start a car without the key, this tutorial shows you how to find the wires in the steering column to find the eight cables underneath. Here's what to look for and then what to do so you can get your car running and go to where you need to be.

How To: Unlock a frozen car door using a butane lighter

Live in a place with severe winter? You may eventually find that your car door lock has frozen solid. You can try jiggling the door handle, but if that doesn't work, then bring out a butane lighter and heat up your car key. Take care to not get burned!

How To: Determine if you should buy an electric car with Electric Car Calculator

Are you thinking of trading in your 6mpg Hummer for something a little more efficient? Well, if you've got an electric or hybrid car in mind, this video will show you how to make a choice that works for you. With a little program called Electric Car Calculator, you can determine if the savings are worth it for you to get into one of today's hybrid or electric cars.

How To: Pack a recovery kit for your 4x4 to ensure your safety while offroading

If you spend a lot of time alone or close to it in the wilderness, then hopefully you already know how important it is to bring a properly packed survival kit. This is true for offroading enthusiasts as well as pedestrian outdoorsman, but the kit requires some great specifically related to your being in a 4x4. This video will show you what you should pack in your 4x4 offroad recovery kit and explains why this stuff will keep you safe.

How To: Use a wheel winch to rescue your 4WD drive from the mud

If you and your 4WD Jeep or other offroading vehicle venture far enough afield, you will probably find yourself stuck in mud, sand, ruts, or some other sticky situation. This video will teach you how to use a wheel winch to self-rescue your vehicle from all sorts of situations and get your truck driving again.

How To: Keep your car seat cool with a reflective emergency blanket

If you've ever parked your car outside in direct sunlight and it's about 90 degrees out, you know what ends up happening 2 hours later when you get back into the car.

How To: Ride a motorcycle in a group

In this tutorial we learn how to ride a motorcycle in a group. You will have each person separated by enough length so you can each safely stop. There should be a trail of one in front of the other, not everyone next to each other. Follow the hand signals that each person gives so you call know where to go. You should have one leader and then other people following with one person in the back. If you are riding into the sun, make sure each person is wearing sunglasses because it will be brigh...

How To: Make a u-turn on a motorcycle

In this video, we learn how to make a u-turn on a motorcycle. You must be able to complete a u-turn without putting your foot down. Depending on the size of your motorcycle, you will need 20-24 feet to do this properly. The most common mistake is oversteering and putting your foot down. Keep the clutch in the friction zone, drag the rear bike the stabilize the bike, add throttle if needed, and shift your weight. Keep your head up and make sure you are looking all the way through the u-turn. D...

How To: Start out on a motorcycle

In this tutorial, we learn how to start out on a motorcycle. Before you ride a motorcycle, you will want to learn where all the controls are. After this, you need to make sure all the springs are in place and the clutch works well. Then, check the engine oil to make sure it's full, and then make sure the throttle is working correctly. The steering bar should also be checked and the ignition switch should be checked. Once you know that your bike is ready, then you can pull the kickstand up wit...

How To: Countersteer and turn on a motorcycle

In this video, we learn how to countersteer and turn on a motorcycle. First, you will push left and lean left while you are on the motorcycle. Push on the hand grip while you are leaning your body. Turn at a normal speed, not while you are going really fast, or you can fall off. You will turn the handlebars just like a steering wheel on a car going at a slow speed. This should be between 8 and 15 miles per hour, so you will have to countersteer. Practice this on a closed course and then you c...

How To: Make a quick stop on a motorcycle

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a quick stop on a motorcycle. You must reach a speed of 15 mph first. A quick stop means you stop right when you are in the middle of driving, without slowing down first. Close the throttle first, then pull in the clutch. From here, apply both brakes evenly and firmly without locking them up and keep the handlebars straight. Make sure you ride safe and you do this with a helmet on after you have learned the basics of riding a motorcycle. Once you learn t...

How To: Master the obstacle swerve on a motorcycle

In this video, we learn how to master the obstacle swerve on a motorcycle. First, you must reach a speed of 15 miles per hour and then swerve around a 7 foot obstacle 13 feet ahead. Learn how to swerve to the left first and then start to swerve to the right on a closed course. Do not brake while you are swerving and learn how to use counter steering. Keep your head up and look where you want to go while you are riding. Enjoy riding your bike and make sure to be extremely cautious when you are...

How To: Use the smart key for the 2010 Toyota Prius

In this video, we learn how to use the smart key for the 2010 Prius. You can use this just like any other keyless entry system. Press the lock button to lock the doors and the unlock button to unlock the doors. When you press unlock once it unlocks the drivers door, if you press it twice within 3 seconds, it unlocks all the door. After 60 seconds, the Prius will automatically lock itself. Press the red alarm key if you need to draw attention to yourself in an emergency situation. Make sure yo...

How To: Set the onboard clock in a 2010 Toyota Prius

In this tutorial, we learn how to set the onboard clock in a 2010 Prius. To the left of the audio system are the clock buttons. To set this, press repeatedly or press and hold the "h" or "m" button to change the hours or minutes. Then, you will be able to set the correct time. Above the clock buttons is a switch that will change your reading from miles per hour to kilometers per hour. The controls on the Prius are completely customizable so you can control what you see on your car and when. M...

How To: Adjust the steering wheel in the 2010 Toyota Prius

In this tutorial, we learn how to adjust the steering wheel in the 2010 Prius. Every Prius has a tilt and telescopic steering wheel that should only be adjusted when the car is stopped. Reach under the steering wheel and push the lever down to release. Then, move the steering wheel in and out and up and down until you find the position that is comfortable for you. Pull the lever up to lock it into position. Make sure the steering wheel is completely locked into place before you start driving ...

How To: Operate the solar powered vent system in a 2010 Toyota Prius

In this tutorial, we learn how to operate the solar powered vent system in a 2010 Prius. Prius models that come with a moon roof also have a solar powered roof. The control switch is on the left hand side of the steering wheel. With the ignition on and the switch turned on, you can exit and allow the ventilation system to start to clean the air out of the car. Since this doesn't rely on power, it will not drain your battery. This is not only eco-friendly, it's also great for your health and c...

How To: Program the HomeLink setup in a 2010 Toyota Prius

In this tutorial, we learn how to program the HomeLink setup in a 2010 Prius. This can be programmed to operate any HomeLink compatible device. Up to three devices can be operated from the vehicle. To program a garage door opener, simply press both the remote and home link button until the indicator light flash rapidly. To program anything else, simply follow the instructions that are given to you when you purchase your car. This is a great feature that can save you time and add more simplici...

How To: Operate dynamic radar cruise control in the 2010 Toyota Prius

In this tutorial, we learn how to operate dynamic radar cruise control in the 2010 Prius. This supplements the conventional cruise control with a vehicle to vehicle cruise control. The radar system sees the car ahead and is less effected by bad weather conditions. The driver can select short, medium, or long driving distances. When cruising at a set speed that is faster than the car ahead, the vehicle will slow down to the speed of that car. A warning will be sounded to tell the driver to tak...