Before You Go

What happens when the kids grow out of the backseat and into the driver's seat? Some safety guidelines can help parents assure their children’s safety.

“Vehicle dependability is just as important for young drivers as it is for adults,” said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. “No parent wants their children to be stranded somewhere.”

Remember paper road maps? They always came along for the ride, tucked into the open compartment on the inside of the car door. Folded, creased, and coffee-stained, the road map was a trusted driving companion.

Then came GPS, with its modern touch-screen technology and disembodied voice (“Turn left in one mile”). Our trusted maps began gathering dust as we bought vehicles with in-dash GPS systems or downloaded GPS apps onto our smartphones.

You’re driving down the interstate late at night when you run over a piece of debris and your tire goes flat. When you open the trunk and move the luggage, you discover that the spare tire is flat.
 
What now?
 
“Temporary tires are often stored under vehicles, in the trunk or somewhere else exposed to the elements,” Dan Zielinski, senior vice president of public affairs for the Rubber Manufacturers Association. “They need to be properly maintained so they are ready when you need them.”

Drivers have more options than ever before when it comes to the kinds of oil they put in their vehicles, and modern synthetic oils are beginning to replace traditional motor oil for a variety of driving applications.
 
How do you choose what is best for your vehicle?
 “Traditional motor oil is 80 percent from crude oil, or ‘basic stock,’” said George Zhang, a chemist at Valvoline. “The other 20 percent or so includes additives manufacturers include to enhance stability of the final product.”