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Music.

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Hello and welcome to another episode of the Self-Initiative Project Podcast.

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I’m your host, Jim O’Brien. Hey there, how is everyone?

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So welcome back to another episode of the Self-Initiative Project Podcast.

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We’re actually up to episode 11 where we’re going to be talking about all things

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having to do with safety in and around your various vehicles.

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But I thought before we got into our topic for this episode that I would remind

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everyone that The Self-Initiative Project is on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Most of our content that we’ve gotten to this point or that we’re putting out

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to this point is on Instagram.

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So by all means, go take a look, like, and follow us, and we would greatly appreciate that.

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And be sure to tell your friends and family about us, too. I think there’s a

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lot of good – I know there’s a lot of good information posted out there on Instagram for sure. Sure.

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Additionally, the podcast is not only available on Podbean, where it’s primarily

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hosted, but it’s also available through some of the other major podcast hosting services.

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So hopefully you can find a platform that’s convenient for you on your,

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whatever your listening device

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may be, whether it’s your desktop laptop at home or on your smartphone.

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So with that, let’s dive right into this episode’s topics.

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So I wanted to talk about vehicle safety and

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things that we should you know gear we should carry checks

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we should make and just general some general tactics

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we should use when we’re in our vehicles you know i don’t

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know about you guys but for me personally i spend

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an awful lot of time in my car it’s not that i have a driving job but i do spend

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a lot of time sitting in traffic my commute can be lengthy 45 plus minutes 45

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minutes to an hour and a half some days one way if i’m unlucky so So,

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you know, we spend a lot of time in our vehicles,

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whether it’s commuting back and forth to work, taking the kids to school, vacation.

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Running errands, or just short trips around town.

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Whatever it is we may be doing, you could probably say that you find yourself

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spending quite a bit of time in your cars or your trucks, your SUVs,

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whatever it is you have, it doesn’t really matter.

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So the nice thing about today’s topic is it doesn’t matter what type of vehicle

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you have, all of these basic sorts of things we’re gonna be talking about apply

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for us. So it’s not vehicle specific.

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So with that, I kind of, I may jump all over the place today, no doubt.

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My mind kind of works like that. It kind of looks like the cartoon that got

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scared and jumps off tangentially in a bunch of different directions simultaneously.

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But I tried to organize today’s topic by looking at the vehicle outside.

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Talking about a couple of things you can do under the hood because we don’t

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want to neglect what’s under the hood that keeps the car going,

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which is the motor, I should say.

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Talk about things we should be doing in and gear we should be keeping in the

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car, whether that be the trunk, the glove compartment box, or just somewhere inside the vehicle.

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And then when we’re actually in the vehicle traveling, going places like the

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ATM or any drive-thrus or the gas station,

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talk about some simple tactics that we can employ for ourselves to keep ourselves

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and our family members or our friends safe when they’re with us.

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So talking about kind of the way I view it as things outside the vehicle and

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what are some things I can be doing involving being, before I even get into the car,

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what are some things that I can be doing to ensure my vehicle’s safe condition

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for me to be in in the first place.

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So one of the things that I think probably gets overlooked from time to time

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are those pesky windshield wipers.

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Now, a few cars have a third one on the back windshield, station wagons and

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some hatchbacks, but you want to make sure your windshield wipers are doing their job.

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And so, you know, you probably noticed in the last rainstorm or two,

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and we’ve been getting a lot of rain here around the Atlanta area recently,

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but you probably have noticed whether or not you might think about replacing

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your windshield wipers.

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You know, you cut them on in the rain and they’re just not keeping that windshield

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cleaned off the way they once did when they were new.

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So, you know, the only real good way is to check your windshield wipers is to

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pay attention to how they’re performing when you are driving in the rain.

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But you want to get in the habit of making sure they are performing optimally

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and if not looking to replace them.

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Now, look, you can get windshield wipers just about any place from the big box

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stores to the automotive stores.

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But, you know, you want to spend a little bit of money on them.

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The cheap ones will get you by, but they don’t last very long and they have

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a tendency not to hold up in high heat very long, it seems like.

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So invest a little bit more money than normal and get yourself a good set of

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windshield wipers to get them on that car so you can see when the weather is inclement.

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One of the other big things that you want to make sure of that gets neglected

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a lot, and I understand why, is tire pressure.

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Tire pressure is so key. Number one is…

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Actually can make your car more fuel efficient. Now, it’s not going to be a

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huge, you’re not going to see a five mile per gallon increase in your gas mileage.

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But when your car’s tires are properly inflated, they do roll smoother.

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And because they’re rolling smoother, in theory, your car is moving more efficiently.

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So that’s where the gas savings is possible.

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And on top of that, that the car just handles better if you have the proper

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amount of tire pressure in there.

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So I know it’s kind of a pain in the butt because not all of us have air compressors

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at our house, but a lot of gas stations offer air for free.

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And if it’s not for free, $0.25, $0.50.

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And if you move quickly enough, you can get around the car and top off where you need to.

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And depending Depending on the type of tires you’re running and what type of

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car you have, etc., you know, the average for a car is somewhere between 32 and 35 PSI.

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So be sure you check that, especially before you go on any long trips.

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Tire pressure has a tendency to go down a drop about a pound for every degree

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or so of temperature that drops.

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In other words, in cold weather, when the weather starts to change and gets

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colder, your tire pressure will drop with the temperature.

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I forget exactly what the rate is, so don’t quote me on that.

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But at any rate, the point is, is pay special attention to your tire pressure

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during the winter months, especially in the transition seasons of fall and spring,

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because that’s when you’ll notice the most change in your pressure.

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But it’s just a good idea of getting in the habit. But when you go to the gas

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station to get gas, go ahead and check your tire pressure and top it off while you’re there.

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Another one that we can check and is our lights, both the headlights and the

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tell lights are break lights.

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And, you know, I mentioned this to people and they say, well,

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how can I check them by myself? It’s really hard to check lights by yourself.

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You have to have somebody around.

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That’s why I don’t do it that frequency that frequently. the

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reality of it is is it’s not that hard to

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check lights right if you have a garage you can

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pull in your garage you can even just pull up your garage door and it’s easy

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enough to turn all your lights on put your car in park put the emergency brake

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on especially if you’re in a hill another little bonus safety tip i’ll give

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you use your emergency brake a lot of people don’t and anyway way,

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get your lights on and get out of the car and walk around the car.

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It’s that easy. It literally takes 30 seconds. Walk around to the front of the car.

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Make sure that both headlights are on. Make sure you’re, not your turn signals

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at that point, because we haven’t gotten there, but make sure your parking lights are on.

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The orange lights that are either on the lower part of the bumper or off on

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the side of the headlights.

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You know what I’m talking about. If you see one on, there There should be a

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matching pair, a matching one or a matching pair on the other side as well.

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Walk around to the rear of the car, same thing. There’s generally some marker

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lights back there and your tail lights.

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You can plainly see when your red tail lights are on.

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Next thing you want to do, and you don’t even have to get back into your car,

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is turn your turn signals on. First one direction, then the other.

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So you push down on your indicator, that’s going to be your left turn signals.

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You quickly look at the front to make sure the indicator lights on that side

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are flashing on and off the way they should.

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You walk around the back and make sure the same thing’s going back there.

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Then you go back and put the indicator switch on your steering column in the

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opposite direction. If it goes up, it’s to the right-hand side.

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You walk around to the right-hand side of your car and you look and make sure

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those indicators are flashing properly on the front and in the back.

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And so it’s very easy to do a basic light check.

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By yourself. And you say, but Jim, what about my brake lights?

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How in the world will I ever check my brake lights by myself?

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Well, that’s a good point. So this is what you do.

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If you have a garage, you can do one or two things.

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You can either back into your garage or before you open up your garage door,

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you can back up to the garage door and likely without even getting out of your car,

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you can turn around and while you look backwards, tap your brake lights and

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make sure it looks as though the glow is coming from both sides of the back of the car.

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In other words, that both of your primary brake lights are actually activating

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because especially in newer cars,

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those LED bright lights are going to be super bright when you tap those brake

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lights, and you should expect that brighter glow from both sides of the back

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of the car. And that’s all you have to do.

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You don’t have to worry about the center brake lights so much,

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especially nowadays, because with LEDs, they’re seldom going to burn out unless

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you’ve shorted them out or unless you’re driving an older vehicle.

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Yes, some freak, freaky things can happen where they go bad,

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but typically you’re looking for your primary brake lights, which are the ones

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on either side, your tail lights to be working.

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And that’s as simple, that’s as complicated as it’s got to be.

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It’s really easy to check those lights by yourself.

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And that’s good to do at least every six months I would say to make sure they’re

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working because you want to drive

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safe when the weather is inclement and especially when it’s getting dark.

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Or it’s dark out. And so it’s a quick less than two or three minute check to

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make sure those lights are working.

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And if not, again, light bulbs are fairly easy to acquire for yourself.

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You can find the numbers, the models of the lights that you need,

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likely in the booklet that came in your car and that can be located in the glove

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compartment box most of the time.

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So we talked about tire pressure a minute ago, and you actually have five tires.

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A lot of cars still have a spare in the trunk.

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If it’s a truck or SUV, it might be under the back of the truck.

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You likely know where your spare is.

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And so you need to be sure to check that once in a blue moon as well.

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Spare tires typically require much higher pressure than the average regular

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tire that goes on your car does.

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For example, somewhere in the neighborhood of, you know, instead of 32 to 35

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normal for an an average car, we’re looking at 55 to 65 typically for those

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what they call donut spare tires.

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And so you want to not forget about that spare tire underneath the carpet in your trunk.

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So once in a while, get that thing out and make sure it’s properly inflated

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because you don’t want to have a flat spare when you go to use it to replace

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one of your regular tires being flat.

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So don’t forget get that spare in the trunk. Some newer cars are running on run flats.

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They have a super stiff sidewall on them, which allows them to run with little to no pressure on them.

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But a great number of us still have spare tires. So don’t overlook that one.

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So now that we’ve kind of talked about the outside of the cars,

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our vehicles, I don’t want to bias this towards cars.

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I know not everybody Everybody has a car, our vehicles. Let’s talk about popping

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that hood real quick. Now, look.

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Ladies, anyone else, men that haven’t really spent a lot of time getting intimate

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with the engine of their vehicles, don’t worry. This is easy.

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When you pop the hood for your vehicle, there’s a cap likely on top somewhere

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that’s clearly labeled, or at least it’s generally clearly labeled,

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unless it’s really old or the new one had the lettering rubbed off of it for some reason.

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It generally has a label called oil, and this is your oil filler cap.

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And somewhere under that hood, maybe near that cap, but kind of down off to

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one side of the other, you’ll find a loop.

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Usually it’s marked with a color orange or yellow, something like that.

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It may not have a color loop on it. It may just be a metal loop.

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But you want to find your oil’s dipstick. And what the dipstick does is it goes

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down into the oil pan and allows you to check the oil level in your oil pan.

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And on the tip of that dipstick, when you pull it out to look at it, you’ll see markers.

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Usually there’s a very low marker and then the proper level marker.

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And your oil level ideally should be to the top of that.

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That’s the best case scenario. But your oil should definitely be somewhere in

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between the low and high filler markers on the end of that dipstick.

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And once in a while, get underneath your hood, especially if you have an older

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car. we shouldn’t have to be worrying about our oil levels so much with newer vehicles. But if.

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But get under there every once in a while, maybe every couple of months, and check the oil level.

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More frequently, maybe once a month if you have an older vehicle.

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And let’s make sure that oil is at the proper level. If oil runs out of your

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car or your vehicle or it’s too low, you can cause massive engine damage.

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And the engine, if you were to run extended periods of time on too little or

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no oil, your engine could likely seize on you, which would not be good while

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you’re driving down the highway at speed limit, of course.

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So check that oil. You can, again, check the owner’s manual that’s likely located

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in your glove compartment, worst case, your trunk somewhere,

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depending on your vehicle.

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And it’ll tell you where to find that filler dipstick.

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I should say the dipstick for the oil. If nothing else, get online, search for it.

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You’ll find tons of information, tons of videos, too, to help you find your car’s dipstick.

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Usually, you can just search on what year, make, and model your car is and find

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all the information you could possibly conceive of ever needing. So, look at the oil.

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Another thing that we want to do from time to time is check the coolant levels,

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especially in colder weather or even in the summer.

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Really, coolant is valuable to that car, that vehicle’s engine all of the time.

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In the wintertime, it’s going to keep things cool and it needs to have the proper

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level and it needs to be fresh coolant from time to time so that it can cool

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the engine properly because it does lose cooling properties over time.

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And in the summer month, this is especially critical with the high temps outside.

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We definitely need to make sure that the coolant water in our cars is up to level.

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And every so often, you want to look to have that coolant replaced in the car

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because, again, it does lose its cooling properties over time.

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They make little tester kits that you can check its general cooling property.

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But you don’t even have to go that far unless you want to.

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Just make sure the level’s up. usually the radiator

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holds a certain amount and then the reservoir which

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is usually clearly marked the reservoir

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needs to be topped off and again there’s generally a

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low level marker and a high level marker and as long as you’re in between those

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two on your coolant you’re good it doesn’t hurt to top it off so check your

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coolant from time to time as well and then every so often look to have it replaced

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while you’re under the hood do a real quick check of your windshield wiper fluid Again,

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the fill cap is generally clearly marked.

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It has a little picture of what looks to be your windshield and then some splatter marks.

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It looks like windshield wiper fluid being sprayed up on it.

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It’s the best they can do for an icon, I guess.

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Top that thing off. At big box stores, you’re looking at about $1.30 for a gallon

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of windshield wiper fluid.

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Not a big investment to keep hassle down.

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Wintertime, you want to look for windshield wiper fluid that dips below that

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can handle temperatures below freezing, obviously, so you don’t get that fluid

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00:17:17,619 –> 00:17:21,679
frozen in its reservoir and not squirting out onto your windshield.

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But keeping that windshield wiper fluid full will enable you to keep those bugs

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cleaned off in the summertime better and the rain spray and anything else that

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may get on there year round.

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So take a minute to top that off from time to time and And you’ll know frequently

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00:17:39,179 –> 00:17:43,159
because you know how much you use that windshield wiper fluid when you’re in your car.

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So we’ve kind of talked about what we can do quickly around the outside of the car.

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We’ve talked about some things to keep track of and check from time to time

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underneath the hood at the engine, the important part that makes the thing go.

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And now we’ll start talking about some gear and items that we should have in

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the car, whether it’s in the cabin with us up front, in the glove compartment box or trunk.

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You can decide best where you want to keep some things. but I’m just going to

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00:18:10,252 –> 00:18:14,612
go through a list here of real quickly, not necessarily in any particular order,

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00:18:14,692 –> 00:18:17,852
but just some things that you should look to keep in there.

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00:18:18,492 –> 00:18:22,492
First on my list, and this is near and dear to my heart, especially here lately,

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00:18:22,632 –> 00:18:28,352
is you want to have a basic first aid kit and possibly even a trauma kit if

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you know how to use that with a tourniquet.

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And we’re not going to get into that because we’ve covered some of this in previous

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podcasts, both we talked about the Stop the bleed program previously.

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And we’ve also talked about how to build our basic trauma kits and what to keep in them.

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So we won’t talk about that here again, but ideally you want to have a basic

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first aid kit and then a trauma kit if you’re comfortable using it.

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Ideally, you should keep one of the other of those in the cabin up front with

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you, but certainly in the trunk.

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This is a piece of gear that especially if you’re traveling a lot or you’re

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going on vacation, you’ve got your family and your kids with you,

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you should definitely have these.

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Newer and or luxury cars typically have a basic first aid kit in them these

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days, or at least they can, but they certainly don’t have the trauma kit in them.

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So either way, you probably want to beef up whatever might come in your car already be in there.

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But the point is that you want at least a first aid kit.

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And then again, if you’re comfortable and you understand how to use the items

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that are in it, you want to have your basic trauma kit included in there as well.

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Again, you know, these are in no particular order, but I put water on the list.

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I think this is a good one that gets overlooked a lot.

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You know, you should think in terms of having drinking water,

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00:19:49,952 –> 00:19:54,092
especially in the hot summer months, and you want to be sure to have enough

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00:19:54,092 –> 00:19:56,152
for your entire family, your kids included.

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00:19:57,052 –> 00:20:02,532
But you want to possibly have at least a gallon or so of water in your car,

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00:20:02,732 –> 00:20:06,552
especially if you have an older car, in case it overheats,

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00:20:06,572 –> 00:20:11,232
because you’re going to need to get fluid back into that radiator if you develop

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00:20:11,232 –> 00:20:17,952
a pinhole in one of the rubber hoses for the coolant or if your radiator decides to crap out.

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You’re going to need to try to get some water back in

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00:20:20,952 –> 00:20:23,772
that system likely you might have

294
00:20:23,772 –> 00:20:27,212
to call a tow truck anyway but you’re you’re

295
00:20:27,212 –> 00:20:29,852
going to want to have some spare water in there so if you

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00:20:29,852 –> 00:20:32,672
do spring elite you might be able to get enough back into the

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00:20:32,672 –> 00:20:38,372
system to get you to the dealership or the service station of your choice that

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00:20:38,372 –> 00:20:41,872
you’d like to go to but keeping water in the trunk especially in the summer

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00:20:41,872 –> 00:20:47,772
months for drinking is especially important so we talked about this in one of

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00:20:47,772 –> 00:20:51,592
our Instagram posts that long, not that long ago, actually.

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00:20:51,732 –> 00:20:56,512
And it was about the fact that you don’t need to keep valuable items,

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00:20:56,612 –> 00:21:00,312
objects in plain sight inside your car.

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00:21:00,672 –> 00:21:05,072
And it doesn’t have to be high end jewelry and stuff like that.

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00:21:05,152 –> 00:21:10,052
You just want to keep most of your personal items out of sight because people

305
00:21:10,052 –> 00:21:13,012
that like to break into the cars are looking for easy targets.

306
00:21:13,152 –> 00:21:16,712
They’re looking for the doors to be unlocked and they’re looking for things

307
00:21:16,712 –> 00:21:21,592
that they see that they can grab quickly and make a quick buck off when they go to sell them again.

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00:21:21,712 –> 00:21:25,492
So keep valuables out of your car. It’s kind of getting into the tactics,

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00:21:25,572 –> 00:21:29,372
but it’s just a good policy not to keep your stuff in plain sight up front.

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00:21:29,652 –> 00:21:34,332
Put it in the glove compartment box or put it in the trunk and keep it out of sight and locked up.

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00:21:35,141 –> 00:21:38,421
Another thing that you want to keep up front with you or consider keeping up

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00:21:38,421 –> 00:21:42,221
front with you, either in the center console where you keep your gum and pens

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00:21:42,221 –> 00:21:48,121
and whatever else, your cleaning rag for your sunglasses or your glove compartment box,

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00:21:48,261 –> 00:21:51,301
you want to consider keeping a glass breaker in there.

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00:21:51,381 –> 00:21:56,641
You never know if you’re in an accident or you happen to drive off the road

316
00:21:56,641 –> 00:21:59,581
into the ravine down into the lake or river.

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We think these things are far-fetched and extreme and will never happen to us,

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00:22:04,321 –> 00:22:06,361
but the reality of it is they can happen.

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00:22:07,001 –> 00:22:11,761
And so a glass breaker is not a bad idea. And typically these glass breakers

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00:22:11,761 –> 00:22:15,741
will not only be a glass breaker, but a lot of them will have a razor blade

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00:22:15,741 –> 00:22:19,861
built into the handle for seat belt cutting. And I think that’s a good idea too.

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00:22:20,001 –> 00:22:24,241
So consider keeping a glass breaker in the center console, their glove compartment box.

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00:22:24,661 –> 00:22:28,241
Center console is probably better because it’s closer to you,

324
00:22:28,281 –> 00:22:29,681
which means you can get to it.

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00:22:29,881 –> 00:22:33,921
You know, if you’re in a bad car accident and your door’s got jammed shut and

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00:22:33,921 –> 00:22:37,221
you’re not unconscious and you’re capable of getting out on your own,

327
00:22:37,261 –> 00:22:42,981
you know, and your car door’s been jammed shut because you’ve been hit T-bone so hard,

328
00:22:43,141 –> 00:22:46,161
whatever it is, a glass breaker can come in handy.

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00:22:46,561 –> 00:22:51,041
So consider carrying a glass breaker. And along with that, consider carrying

330
00:22:51,041 –> 00:22:54,241
a knife or a Leatherman tool or some sort of multi-tool.

331
00:22:54,561 –> 00:22:59,561
It’s not a bad idea. You never know when you need a good blade and cutting through

332
00:22:59,561 –> 00:23:05,021
a seatbelt or your child’s seatbelt might be something that you have to do at

333
00:23:05,021 –> 00:23:06,801
some point in time. You never know.

334
00:23:06,921 –> 00:23:11,441
It’s not being paranoid. It’s being prepared and having a plan.

335
00:23:11,621 –> 00:23:14,361
So that’s the way I like to go about these things.

336
00:23:15,381 –> 00:23:19,961
Talking about things to keep in the trunk, and again, some of this to me can be seasonal.

337
00:23:20,141 –> 00:23:23,601
I keep some seasonal things back there in addition to my year around.

338
00:23:24,788 –> 00:23:28,888
Some of the things that I keep in my trunk all of the time is a get-home bag,

339
00:23:29,048 –> 00:23:31,828
or what they refer to as a GHB bag.

340
00:23:32,008 –> 00:23:35,188
And in this bag, and we may talk about this in a future podcast,

341
00:23:35,428 –> 00:23:39,368
but in this bag, there’s some of that water, there’s some first aid items,

342
00:23:39,488 –> 00:23:43,648
there might be a change of clothes, a poncho, first aid kit,

343
00:23:43,868 –> 00:23:46,648
there might be a firearm and some ammo.

344
00:23:47,148 –> 00:23:53,348
Again, a get-home bag is basically a bag that contains 24 hours worth of supplies

345
00:23:53,348 –> 00:23:57,408
for you, obviously included in that are some snacks and some basic foods.

346
00:23:57,828 –> 00:24:01,708
And again, if you have a family, then you need to think about what each of those

347
00:24:01,708 –> 00:24:03,088
people are going to carry.

348
00:24:03,128 –> 00:24:05,228
Each of those individuals are going to carry for themselves,

349
00:24:05,268 –> 00:24:10,328
but likely you’ll have the same bag repetitively based on the number of people

350
00:24:10,328 –> 00:24:14,408
in your family or the number of people that you have in your vehicle at a time with you.

351
00:24:14,608 –> 00:24:19,148
But certainly want to think in terms of having that in case something happens.

352
00:24:19,148 –> 00:24:23,848
So another thing that I like to keep in the trunk all the time are some flares

353
00:24:23,848 –> 00:24:29,428
or some of the triangular reflective, big triangular reflective roadside markers.

354
00:24:29,608 –> 00:24:33,448
Now I carry the roadside markers, the big triangular roadside markers.

355
00:24:33,488 –> 00:24:35,888
I don’t have flares, but flares are an option.

356
00:24:36,068 –> 00:24:40,048
Another option are some glow sticks, and all of these things are relatively

357
00:24:40,048 –> 00:24:40,988
inexpensive. expensive.

358
00:24:41,528 –> 00:24:46,648
Another thing that I keep in the trunk all the time is a spare change of clothes

359
00:24:46,648 –> 00:24:48,728
and some extra shoes even.

360
00:24:48,788 –> 00:24:53,168
Usually I’m at least business casual, so I might, especially if I have to deal

361
00:24:53,168 –> 00:24:59,008
with a flat tire or something or whatever else, or maybe I’ve got to walk home or walk for some miles,

362
00:24:59,208 –> 00:25:03,088
I got a spare change of clothes and I’ll swap that out depending on if it’s

363
00:25:03,088 –> 00:25:04,888
wintertime, cold weather, summertime,

364
00:25:05,168 –> 00:25:09,568
hot weather, shorts and t-shirts and tennis shoes in the summertime,

365
00:25:09,568 –> 00:25:14,848
Summertime, and I’m more likely, obviously, to wear jeans, try to layer some top shirts,

366
00:25:15,168 –> 00:25:18,628
t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, flannel shirts, fleece, whatever it is.

367
00:25:19,324 –> 00:25:25,044
And in the wintertime, I’ll carry a wintertime jacket, some gloves,

368
00:25:25,284 –> 00:25:28,884
a stocking cap or toboggan, I guess, depending on where you’re from.

369
00:25:29,144 –> 00:25:32,484
I say stocking cap, gloves, a heavy jacket.

370
00:25:32,944 –> 00:25:37,084
And of course, I take that out again when the summer months roll around.

371
00:25:37,244 –> 00:25:43,184
But I want that extra, you know, back in 2014, Atlanta had what we lovingly

372
00:25:43,184 –> 00:25:45,304
refer to now as Snowmageddon.

373
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We were totally caught with our pants down. And, you know, a normal 30 minute

374
00:25:49,844 –> 00:25:54,744
commute home from the office took me personally three and a half hours to make

375
00:25:54,744 –> 00:25:57,564
that afternoon because the snow started falling at noon.

376
00:25:58,004 –> 00:26:02,104
I made the mistake of not waiting to leave the office till around four,

377
00:26:02,204 –> 00:26:03,364
four thirty that afternoon.

378
00:26:03,504 –> 00:26:07,384
And it wound up taking me three and a half hours to get home.

379
00:26:07,444 –> 00:26:09,904
And luckily, I got home unscathed and safely.

380
00:26:10,064 –> 00:26:14,424
My car made it home without a scratch on it. But some people spent eight,

381
00:26:14,544 –> 00:26:18,624
nine, even 12 hours on the road. Some people had to find hotels.

382
00:26:19,204 –> 00:26:22,144
Some people got out of their cars and left them where they were.

383
00:26:22,804 –> 00:26:27,904
And so, you know, all these spare clothes and this wintertime coat I told you

384
00:26:27,904 –> 00:26:31,684
I kept back there would have come in handy if I had been stranded or had to

385
00:26:31,684 –> 00:26:36,064
walk somewhere because I got stuck or was in a car accident and needed to go somewhere.

386
00:26:36,664 –> 00:26:40,444
And so the other thing that I’ll keep in my car, and this is one that I’ll actually

387
00:26:40,444 –> 00:26:42,524
keep in there year-round as a blanket.

388
00:26:42,944 –> 00:26:45,944
You never know when you’re going to need a blanket. it. You think wintertime

389
00:26:45,944 –> 00:26:53,084
only, but if you happen to stop to help somebody, you might need to elevate a body part for them.

390
00:26:54,004 –> 00:26:59,384
You might need to use it as a pillow. If they’re in shock or if it’s wintertime,

391
00:26:59,464 –> 00:27:02,024
you might want to cover them up, at least in part.

392
00:27:02,204 –> 00:27:05,664
So a blanket’s nice to have in the trunk one way or the other.

393
00:27:05,744 –> 00:27:08,804
And that’s one of the items that seems like a wintertime item,

394
00:27:08,864 –> 00:27:11,744
but it’s really appropriate to have around there year-round.

395
00:27:12,904 –> 00:27:16,004
One of the other things that I like to keep either in the glove compartment

396
00:27:16,004 –> 00:27:18,364
or in the trunk is some spare batteries.

397
00:27:18,844 –> 00:27:22,224
You know, one of the things that you should likely keep up front in the cabin,

398
00:27:22,344 –> 00:27:26,044
likely another item for your glove compartment box, is a good flashlight.

399
00:27:26,644 –> 00:27:31,504
And when you carry a flashlight in your car, it’s probably a good idea to check those batteries.

400
00:27:32,124 –> 00:27:36,464
It is a good idea to check those batteries about every six months,

401
00:27:36,624 –> 00:27:40,984
certainly once a year annually, because those batteries go dead.

402
00:27:41,064 –> 00:27:44,044
And when you need that That flashlight, you don’t want a dead flashlight.

403
00:27:44,204 –> 00:27:47,844
So keeping some spare batteries in the trunk is not a bad idea.

404
00:27:48,324 –> 00:27:54,124
Typically, some C’s or double A’s are more typically what gets used in flashlights.

405
00:27:54,144 –> 00:27:58,684
But whatever your flashlight you choose to carry in the car is a good idea for

406
00:27:58,684 –> 00:28:00,704
you to carry the spare batteries for it.

407
00:28:01,356 –> 00:28:06,176
And so with all of that being said, any of that gear that you think in terms

408
00:28:06,176 –> 00:28:10,456
is for you, if you’ve got a family and you’ve got your kids with you,

409
00:28:10,456 –> 00:28:14,836
you need to think about having enough of the same things for them too.

410
00:28:14,936 –> 00:28:18,096
So they should have their own gear in the trunk along with yours.

411
00:28:19,076 –> 00:28:22,576
Another thing that I keep in the trunk, especially in my older vehicle,

412
00:28:22,796 –> 00:28:24,716
is a set of jumper cables.

413
00:28:25,356 –> 00:28:30,696
You know, batteries can last on average anywhere from two to five years.

414
00:28:30,696 –> 00:28:33,456
Sometimes a little longer than five years if you’ve

415
00:28:33,456 –> 00:28:37,376
got a really nice expensive battery in your vehicle if

416
00:28:37,376 –> 00:28:40,176
you’re cheap and you look to get the

417
00:28:40,176 –> 00:28:43,356
cheapest thing from one of the automotive stores sometimes those

418
00:28:43,356 –> 00:28:48,436
batteries can only last a year or two i’ve i’ve been guilty of buying cheap

419
00:28:48,436 –> 00:28:52,876
batteries in the in the past and i’m lucky to get two two and a half years out

420
00:28:52,876 –> 00:28:56,976
of them so just know the more money you spend on a battery for your vehicle

421
00:28:56,976 –> 00:29:02,036
it is worthwhile because that means it’s it’s going to be a while before you

422
00:29:02,036 –> 00:29:03,176
have to deal with it again.

423
00:29:03,436 –> 00:29:08,156
But in the meantime, you want to have a set of jumper cables in your car that’s

424
00:29:08,156 –> 00:29:10,476
appropriate for your vehicle. And I’ll tell you why.

425
00:29:10,736 –> 00:29:14,756
You never know when someone else needs help. And that’s a good reason just to

426
00:29:14,756 –> 00:29:19,416
keep jumper cables in your trunk year round and, you know, not think just in

427
00:29:19,416 –> 00:29:23,416
terms of what you may need one day, but the fact that you could help someone

428
00:29:23,416 –> 00:29:25,256
else if you’re so inclined.

429
00:29:25,656 –> 00:29:29,716
One of the things that I keep in the trunk, I actually have a couple just in

430
00:29:29,716 –> 00:29:35,656
case I lose one, is if you’re like me, you have lock lug nuts on your rims.

431
00:29:35,656 –> 00:29:40,556
Not that I have fancy pants rims or anything, but I did put lock lugs on there.

432
00:29:40,656 –> 00:29:45,296
Now your option is to not put a lock lug on each of your rims,

433
00:29:45,296 –> 00:29:48,036
but I opted to just to make it harder.

434
00:29:48,176 –> 00:29:51,256
If somebody really wanted to take them off the car, they still could.

435
00:29:51,256 –> 00:29:54,136
But if you do have lock lugs you

436
00:29:54,136 –> 00:29:57,676
want to make sure you have that lock lug key in your

437
00:29:57,676 –> 00:30:02,376
car so that when you need to change a flat tire on the side of the highway you’ve

438
00:30:02,376 –> 00:30:06,716
got it or when you take your car into the shop to have your tires rotated and

439
00:30:06,716 –> 00:30:10,936
balanced you’ve got it available for those guys now typically the shops have

440
00:30:10,936 –> 00:30:16,796
their own keys that generally fit most everything out there but when you take your car in,

441
00:30:16,876 –> 00:30:21,796
whether it’s the dealership or the big warehouse place that has the automotive

442
00:30:21,796 –> 00:30:23,756
shop in the rear or wherever it is,

443
00:30:23,936 –> 00:30:26,976
they’ll generally ask you where your lug key is.

444
00:30:27,136 –> 00:30:29,936
And so you want to make sure you’ve got that. And again, if nothing else,

445
00:30:29,976 –> 00:30:31,356
it’s going to be really inconvenient.

446
00:30:31,876 –> 00:30:35,816
If you get a flat on the side of the road and you go to change the tire and

447
00:30:35,816 –> 00:30:40,156
you can’t take it off because you don’t have that lug key, lug nut key in there.

448
00:30:40,256 –> 00:30:41,936
So that’s, that’s really important.

449
00:30:42,476 –> 00:30:45,396
Kind of moving back up to the front of the car again, and again,

450
00:30:45,456 –> 00:30:47,176
I warned you I’d be all over the place.

451
00:30:47,836 –> 00:30:52,276
One of the things that you probably want to keep in your car is a detailed map

452
00:30:52,276 –> 00:30:55,716
of the area in which you live, or at least the general area where you live.

453
00:30:55,856 –> 00:30:59,716
So I keep a map of Atlanta in my glove compartment box, pretty detailed.

454
00:31:00,636 –> 00:31:05,616
And I think that’s a good idea because we can’t always guarantee our electronics are going to work.

455
00:31:05,736 –> 00:31:10,476
Sometimes these GPS systems have been known to freeze and known to lead us down

456
00:31:10,476 –> 00:31:15,096
the dark alleys and not where we thought we were going. So I like to keep a map.

457
00:31:15,316 –> 00:31:20,216
If I travel to other states or other cities frequently, I’ll sometimes keep

458
00:31:20,216 –> 00:31:27,716
maps of those states which are much broader, you know, a much broader range, not near as detailed.

459
00:31:27,716 –> 00:31:31,716
But at least I’ll understand where major highways are and have a good idea of

460
00:31:31,716 –> 00:31:34,016
where I’m located and how to get to where I’m going.

461
00:31:34,476 –> 00:31:38,676
So that may be a little old school, but I still recommend keeping a map in the

462
00:31:38,676 –> 00:31:39,736
old glove compartment box.

463
00:31:39,956 –> 00:31:43,596
It’s out of sight, out of mind, but when you need it, it’s there. So that’s a good idea.

464
00:31:44,156 –> 00:31:47,176
Another thing to keep in the car is a phone charger. Now

465
00:31:47,176 –> 00:31:49,916
we all have USB cables today and they go

466
00:31:49,916 –> 00:31:53,716
from your phone and a lot of new cars have USB plugs

467
00:31:53,716 –> 00:31:57,116
built into to them kind of like the old cigarette cigarette lighters

468
00:31:57,116 –> 00:32:00,216
do but it’s not bad to have a

469
00:32:00,216 –> 00:32:03,256
phone charger or a backup charger one of these little separate

470
00:32:03,256 –> 00:32:07,276
battery backup chargers that you bring in the house and charge up once in a

471
00:32:07,276 –> 00:32:10,476
while and then you you take them and leave them in your car so that when you

472
00:32:10,476 –> 00:32:14,996
have something died let’s say your battery dies on your car right we just talked

473
00:32:14,996 –> 00:32:21,796
about in having jumper cables well if the battery goes dead on your car or the alternator goes out,

474
00:32:21,896 –> 00:32:26,176
then how can you possibly crank your car to charge your phone to get a cell

475
00:32:26,176 –> 00:32:32,576
signal to call 911 or call the hero truck or call your husband to come get you,

476
00:32:32,636 –> 00:32:36,536
let’s say, or your significant other, as I should say.

477
00:32:36,876 –> 00:32:42,116
Whatever it is, having a spare backup charger in the car is not a bad idea,

478
00:32:42,156 –> 00:32:45,936
and certainly the cables to allow you to plug these devices in, right?

479
00:32:45,936 –> 00:32:49,176
You might want to consider AAA I

480
00:32:49,176 –> 00:32:52,416
know that’s a big automotive roadside assistant of

481
00:32:52,416 –> 00:32:55,956
course there’s OnStar and some of the GM cars that’s

482
00:32:55,956 –> 00:33:01,276
been shown to be fairly effective my buddy uses it and has good luck you can

483
00:33:01,276 –> 00:33:06,116
also call these hero trucks now at least here in the metro Atlanta area my point

484
00:33:06,116 –> 00:33:10,996
being is that if you’re not savvy enough to take care of these things when something

485
00:33:10,996 –> 00:33:15,156
happens to you and you get stranded on the side of the road you need to know that.

486
00:33:15,823 –> 00:33:21,403
Police may not necessarily stop for you. You know, it’s awfully nice when they do.

487
00:33:21,563 –> 00:33:25,843
A lot of times when police officers, we see police officers on the road,

488
00:33:25,883 –> 00:33:29,503
they’re either driving to work or home from work.

489
00:33:29,703 –> 00:33:34,163
And in both of those scenarios, we can’t always expect them to stop and help

490
00:33:34,163 –> 00:33:37,023
everybody all the time because it would be an impossible task.

491
00:33:37,283 –> 00:33:42,183
Those guys work their butts off either way. If you do have a police officer

492
00:33:42,183 –> 00:33:44,103
stop for you, consider yourself lucky.

493
00:33:44,183 –> 00:33:47,743
Be sure to thank them because that’s not necessarily part of their jobs.

494
00:33:47,863 –> 00:33:53,423
They’re supposed to be out there stopping the criminals and the lawbreakers

495
00:33:53,423 –> 00:33:56,023
not helping you change your spare tire.

496
00:33:56,023 –> 00:34:00,243
So just know if they do, just know that they’re probably going out of their

497
00:34:00,243 –> 00:34:05,243
way a little bit to do it for you, taking time out from what they should more likely be doing.

498
00:34:05,683 –> 00:34:09,283
And you just want to be sure to be appreciative and thank them for their time.

499
00:34:09,523 –> 00:34:14,303
But the chances of that are rare. so you need to be have these other numbers

500
00:34:14,303 –> 00:34:18,743
available to you keep them saved in your phone and whatnot so you can get a

501
00:34:18,743 –> 00:34:23,183
hold of them when and if the time comes because the law enforcement’s not necessarily

502
00:34:23,183 –> 00:34:28,443
going to stop with you for you when you get into trouble on the roadside.

503
00:34:29,043 –> 00:34:35,043
One of the things that i have chosen to keep in my trunk in addition to my umbrella

504
00:34:35,043 –> 00:34:40,623
which is also So another good item to keep is a crowbar and the chances of me

505
00:34:40,623 –> 00:34:42,763
needing that crowbar are slim to nil,

506
00:34:42,803 –> 00:34:47,503
but I actually did work an accident not that long ago.

507
00:34:47,563 –> 00:34:50,763
It’s been, I guess it’s been several months ago now, I guess.

508
00:34:50,823 –> 00:34:55,443
So I take that back, but I worked a roadside accident first on the scene,

509
00:34:55,563 –> 00:34:56,763
no other first responders.

510
00:34:56,863 –> 00:34:59,923
So I took it upon myself to stop and help.

511
00:34:59,983 –> 00:35:03,583
And a kid, I guess, was on the job delivering pizzas or whatnot,

512
00:35:03,743 –> 00:35:08,323
had made some bad decisions in traffic wound up flipping his SUV over.

513
00:35:08,603 –> 00:35:13,503
And so one of the things I wanted to do for him was pop his hood and disconnect the battery.

514
00:35:13,683 –> 00:35:17,463
Because generally that’s the first, one of the first things that fire’s going

515
00:35:17,463 –> 00:35:21,443
to do when they arrive on the scene, unless the vehicle’s drivable and then

516
00:35:21,443 –> 00:35:22,843
they’ll have it move it out of the way.

517
00:35:23,863 –> 00:35:27,843
But a lot of times disconnecting that battery is the first thing they do,

518
00:35:28,003 –> 00:35:32,423
especially if they figured the integrity of that engine or gas tank or whatever

519
00:35:32,423 –> 00:35:36,323
about that vehicle may be questionable because we don’t want any sparks on scene.

520
00:35:37,263 –> 00:35:40,483
Fortunately, I didn’t have to get out the crowbar with a little bit of elbow

521
00:35:40,483 –> 00:35:44,863
grease. I popped the hood on the SUV and disconnected the battery for the kid.

522
00:35:45,043 –> 00:35:50,563
But having a crowbar in there allows us to have a tool that we may or may not ever need.

523
00:35:50,683 –> 00:35:54,123
But when we, if we do have it, it comes in awfully handy. And that would have

524
00:35:54,123 –> 00:35:59,243
been a time that potentially could have been handy to have a crowbar,

525
00:35:59,343 –> 00:36:01,083
a big pry bar in the trunk.

526
00:36:02,221 –> 00:36:05,661
So I’ve mentioned this a few times already because there’s information in there

527
00:36:05,661 –> 00:36:09,701
that we need to reference from time to time, whether it’s finding the right

528
00:36:09,701 –> 00:36:15,541
viscosity oil to put back in our car or the model number of the light bulb that

529
00:36:15,541 –> 00:36:17,141
you discovered had been burned out.

530
00:36:17,581 –> 00:36:21,661
It’s a good idea to keep the owner’s manual for your vehicle in the car.

531
00:36:21,761 –> 00:36:25,101
Now, some people, I think, take it out because they got other stuff they’d rather

532
00:36:25,101 –> 00:36:27,421
have in the glove compartment box, and that’s great.

533
00:36:28,061 –> 00:36:31,101
If you’re not going to keep it in your car, then at least keep it somewhere

534
00:36:31,101 –> 00:36:35,241
in the garage or in your house where you can get to it when the time comes because,

535
00:36:35,361 –> 00:36:39,781
again, that manual comes in awfully handy when you need to reference it for

536
00:36:39,781 –> 00:36:42,421
something, whether it’s the exact tire pressure for your car,

537
00:36:42,661 –> 00:36:47,521
what type of oil to put back in when you’re topping off the oil after you found

538
00:36:47,521 –> 00:36:51,981
it was low, or whatever it may be, that manual has a lot of good information in it.

539
00:36:52,421 –> 00:36:56,861
Again, you can find most of the information about your vehicles online these

540
00:36:56,861 –> 00:37:02,101
days, but when you need it out on the road or on vacation, it’s good to have that book.

541
00:37:02,241 –> 00:37:07,241
And I just recommend keeping it where it came, which is generally in the glove compartment box.

542
00:37:08,041 –> 00:37:14,521
So we’ve talked an awful lot about gear and specific things that at least I like to keep in my cars.

543
00:37:14,761 –> 00:37:21,201
And so I wanted to talk a little bit about some tactics that we should utilize

544
00:37:21,201 –> 00:37:24,541
or be aware to utilize when we’re in our car.

545
00:37:24,541 –> 00:37:28,861
And I’m not going to harp on this a lot, a bunch of different scenarios,

546
00:37:28,961 –> 00:37:32,141
but it really does apply in a lot of different places.

547
00:37:32,261 –> 00:37:36,501
Whether I’m going to the grocery store, whether I’m at the gas station,

548
00:37:36,601 –> 00:37:42,381
especially if I’m at the gas station or the ATM at the bank or wherever it is,

549
00:37:42,581 –> 00:37:49,021
the drive-through picking up my prescription drugs or even the fast food drive-through,

550
00:37:49,121 –> 00:37:53,861
I cannot tell you how important it is to keep your car doors locked.

551
00:37:54,939 –> 00:38:00,899
This could prevent so many crimes, so many thefts, so many issues that if you

552
00:38:00,899 –> 00:38:02,279
just kept your door locked.

553
00:38:02,519 –> 00:38:08,099
I can’t tell you how many cars are broken into simply because the owner left the car unlocked.

554
00:38:08,639 –> 00:38:12,819
You know, recently I was listening to a radio station like I do every morning,

555
00:38:12,899 –> 00:38:14,619
listening to one of the DJs on there.

556
00:38:14,619 –> 00:38:18,879
And he was talking about in his part of town that the community made the decisions

557
00:38:18,879 –> 00:38:20,379
for themselves that a lot of

558
00:38:20,379 –> 00:38:25,719
them in the community just left their cars unlocked because the car theft,

559
00:38:26,019 –> 00:38:32,099
the car, you know, the car theft, you know, whether it’s taking the car or generally

560
00:38:32,099 –> 00:38:34,679
more just breaking in the car to steal things.

561
00:38:34,799 –> 00:38:39,819
They just made the decision to leave their car doors unlocked to prevent their

562
00:38:39,819 –> 00:38:43,139
windows being broken out every other day or whatever. ever.

563
00:38:43,579 –> 00:38:47,719
Well, you have to decide if that’s the technique that you want to follow.

564
00:38:47,799 –> 00:38:54,159
I say it’s more important to keep those items of value or not value out of clear

565
00:38:54,159 –> 00:38:57,479
sight and locked up, take them in the house at night, lock them in the trunk,

566
00:38:57,639 –> 00:38:59,739
whatever it is, and keep that door locked.

567
00:39:00,059 –> 00:39:04,739
But look, if you’ve got that much trouble, you probably need to be looking to move anyway.

568
00:39:05,219 –> 00:39:08,799
So I’m a proponent of keeping your doors locked no matter what.

569
00:39:08,899 –> 00:39:12,799
Of course, if you’ve got the jewelry out on the front seat or the CDs out on

570
00:39:12,799 –> 00:39:16,619
the front seat or a wad of cash laying out in the backseat, whatever it is,

571
00:39:16,759 –> 00:39:20,839
you can bet you’re probably going to be broken into, especially dependent on

572
00:39:20,839 –> 00:39:21,999
the part of town you’re in.

573
00:39:22,379 –> 00:39:26,779
So it’s good policy to keep the stuff out of the car and keep your car doors locked.

574
00:39:26,899 –> 00:39:30,839
And especially if you’re by yourself or you’re out at night.

575
00:39:31,099 –> 00:39:37,059
Now that’s another tactic that I’m going to tell you, especially if you’re a lady and alone,

576
00:39:37,339 –> 00:39:42,839
you need You need to plan out your day a little better so that you’re not going

577
00:39:42,839 –> 00:39:46,799
to the ATM or the gas station after dark.

578
00:39:46,979 –> 00:39:54,019
You can avoid a lot of hassles for yourself if you do a better job planning

579
00:39:54,019 –> 00:39:58,339
out your time and your day where you’re not having to go to these places after dark.

580
00:39:58,679 –> 00:40:04,279
Not that bad things don’t happen during the day, but after night we know they can get bad.

581
00:40:04,279 –> 00:40:09,059
So think about rescheduling your day where you can get to the bank or the ATM

582
00:40:09,059 –> 00:40:13,799
or the gas station, whatever, or even the grocery store for that matter,

583
00:40:13,839 –> 00:40:17,119
while it’s still daylight and you’ll do yourself a lot of favor.

584
00:40:17,984 –> 00:40:21,504
When it comes to parking, when you’re out and about, especially at night,

585
00:40:21,584 –> 00:40:25,304
if you happen to have to go out at night, you want to try to park under lights.

586
00:40:26,044 –> 00:40:30,324
Lights in dark spaces tend to make the bad guys think twice.

587
00:40:30,364 –> 00:40:34,604
Now, again, bad guys do their thing even in broad daylight, but these are just

588
00:40:34,604 –> 00:40:38,084
some tips to help you go about your day and your business, the things that you

589
00:40:38,084 –> 00:40:40,504
need to accomplish a lot smarter.

590
00:40:41,124 –> 00:40:45,864
And when you’re at the grocery store, consider parking next to the buggy rack,

591
00:40:46,044 –> 00:40:48,944
the place where all the buggies are dropped off

592
00:40:48,944 –> 00:40:51,944
because this gives you more open space

593
00:40:51,944 –> 00:40:54,684
especially if you’re getting small children out of your

594
00:40:54,684 –> 00:40:57,404
car on that side this gives you

595
00:40:57,404 –> 00:41:00,444
more open space you can see around you more easily

596
00:41:00,444 –> 00:41:08,244
this keeps the aisle way between you and the car next to you much more wide

597
00:41:08,244 –> 00:41:12,204
open in other words you don’t have a tall vehicle parked right up next to you

598
00:41:12,204 –> 00:41:15,484
where people People can’t see straight through to you because typically those

599
00:41:15,484 –> 00:41:20,204
buggy return racks are much lower, much shorter, if you will.

600
00:41:20,324 –> 00:41:23,504
And so you give yourself a little bit more visible line of sight,

601
00:41:23,644 –> 00:41:29,424
both people being able to see you, you being able to see them back out and a little bit more room.

602
00:41:29,724 –> 00:41:32,564
Of course, you do run the risk of getting your car banged up,

603
00:41:32,624 –> 00:41:36,764
potentially by a buggy, but that’s just something to consider in the mix as well.

604
00:41:36,764 –> 00:41:40,044
Well, one of the things we’ve talked about recently on Instagram,

605
00:41:40,164 –> 00:41:44,524
too, is when you’re pulling up beside behind someone in traffic,

606
00:41:44,684 –> 00:41:48,464
you don’t want to tailgate them. Some of us have a really bad habit.

607
00:41:48,524 –> 00:41:51,504
We think we’ve got to get right up on the person in front of us.

608
00:41:51,564 –> 00:41:54,784
And maybe we think that’s a courtesy to the person behind us is,

609
00:41:54,864 –> 00:41:59,544
you know, taking up the most of the space that we have to give them the room that they need.

610
00:41:59,624 –> 00:42:03,104
But the reality of it is, A, it’s kind of rude to tailgate.

611
00:42:03,224 –> 00:42:10,144
And B, you’re not doing yourself any favor. When you roll up behind somebody, stop light or stop sign,

612
00:42:10,404 –> 00:42:14,944
you need to leave yourself enough room between yourself and the person in front

613
00:42:14,944 –> 00:42:16,464
of you so that if something happened,

614
00:42:16,644 –> 00:42:20,144
like let’s say you had to get out of the way real quick because you saw an accident

615
00:42:20,144 –> 00:42:24,584
unfolding right before your eyes and a vehicle was heading straight towards

616
00:42:24,584 –> 00:42:29,304
you, you need enough room to scoot out from behind that car one way or the other.

617
00:42:30,044 –> 00:42:33,944
So the recommendation is that you never want to get so close to the car in front

618
00:42:33,944 –> 00:42:36,684
of you that you cannot see their rear tires.

619
00:42:37,504 –> 00:42:41,704
Generally, regardless of the vehicle you have, if you use that rule,

620
00:42:41,824 –> 00:42:45,184
if you apply that rule of being able to still see their rear tires,

621
00:42:45,304 –> 00:42:46,704
the rubber of their rear tires,

622
00:42:46,864 –> 00:42:51,544
then regardless of your vehicle, you’re going to have enough room to work your

623
00:42:51,544 –> 00:42:53,404
way around them one way or the other.

624
00:42:53,764 –> 00:42:58,524
When we’re driving in inclement weather or when it’s dark or starting to get

625
00:42:58,524 –> 00:43:00,544
dark or are even starting to get light.

626
00:43:01,448 –> 00:43:06,668
People, let’s get those headlights turned on. There’s no excuse for them being off.

627
00:43:07,228 –> 00:43:12,008
In Georgia, it’s actually the law that I have to have my headlights turned on

628
00:43:12,008 –> 00:43:19,668
30 minutes before dusk and up to 30 minutes before dawn. It’s the law in the state of Georgia.

629
00:43:20,328 –> 00:43:25,368
Most new cars come such that the running lights have at least the headlights

630
00:43:25,368 –> 00:43:30,848
or at least maybe even a dulled down version of the headlights on all the time.

631
00:43:30,848 –> 00:43:35,948
So why you intentionally turn that off, I don’t know, but it’s the law in the

632
00:43:35,948 –> 00:43:39,148
state of Georgia to have your headlights on at the right times.

633
00:43:39,448 –> 00:43:46,288
And look, that goes for dark, near dark, near light, and most importantly, inclement weather.

634
00:43:46,368 –> 00:43:51,748
If it’s raining or snowing, you need to have your headlights on. That’s the bottom line.

635
00:43:51,928 –> 00:44:00,488
End of story. Look, headlights are not on your car just for you to see where

636
00:44:00,488 –> 00:44:02,228
it is you’re going, okay?

637
00:44:02,748 –> 00:44:07,568
That might be a common misconception out there. So let’s dispel that now.

638
00:44:08,188 –> 00:44:15,728
Headlights are not just for the sole purpose of allowing you to see better where it is you are going.

639
00:44:16,188 –> 00:44:19,848
So that’s why they’re on at night, right? It’s completely pitch dark out.

640
00:44:19,908 –> 00:44:22,348
I got my headlights on. Now I can better see where I’m going.

641
00:44:22,708 –> 00:44:26,028
That’s one and only one purpose of headlights.

642
00:44:26,388 –> 00:44:30,588
The other purpose, which I argue is just as important,

643
00:44:30,908 –> 00:44:35,768
if not more important, is that when you have your headlights and your taillights

644
00:44:35,768 –> 00:44:44,728
on, for that matter, it allows other people on the road and around you to more easily see you, period.

645
00:44:45,628 –> 00:44:49,808
Headlights being on allow others to see you.

646
00:44:49,808 –> 00:44:52,728
And like I said that’s just if not more

647
00:44:52,728 –> 00:44:55,748
important than you being able to see where you’re going so you’re

648
00:44:55,748 –> 00:44:58,708
thinking oh it’s just a cloudy day or it’s

649
00:44:58,708 –> 00:45:04,048
raining other people can see me just fine I can see where I’m going so I don’t

650
00:45:04,048 –> 00:45:08,808
need to have my headlights on no you absolutely need to have your headlights

651
00:45:08,808 –> 00:45:16,268
on especially in inclement weather so that other people can more easily see you and identify you.

652
00:45:16,348 –> 00:45:20,268
And look, if you’re driving a silver car of any shade or a black car,

653
00:45:20,468 –> 00:45:27,488
this goes doubly for you because your cars in the rain are very difficult to

654
00:45:27,488 –> 00:45:29,228
see, especially at distance.

655
00:45:29,528 –> 00:45:34,168
So headlights aren’t just for you being able to see where you’re going more easily.

656
00:45:34,228 –> 00:45:41,488
They’re also, and arguably just as important in helping others see you.

657
00:45:41,668 –> 00:45:43,308
So turn those headlights lights on.

658
00:45:44,609 –> 00:45:49,469
Additionally, our vehicles come with at least three mirrors equipped with three

659
00:45:49,469 –> 00:45:52,889
mirrors that we can utilize and we should be utilizing them.

660
00:45:52,949 –> 00:45:56,629
The first one you’re fairly familiar with because it’s square in the center

661
00:45:56,629 –> 00:45:57,609
of your front windshield.

662
00:45:57,909 –> 00:46:02,749
You should check behind you, look up, glance up in that on occasion to see what’s

663
00:46:02,749 –> 00:46:06,129
going on behind you, see who’s tailgating you, whatever else.

664
00:46:06,129 –> 00:46:10,089
But when you’re getting ready to turn or change lanes, more importantly,

665
00:46:10,289 –> 00:46:14,029
use those side mirrors outside your front doors.

666
00:46:14,289 –> 00:46:19,209
That’s what they’re there for. And just a quick check of those mirrors will

667
00:46:19,209 –> 00:46:25,149
ensure that you’re likely not going to hit someone when you change your lanes on a whim.

668
00:46:25,149 –> 00:46:28,109
And to take it a step further just take

669
00:46:28,109 –> 00:46:31,089
the extra second or two the extra energy and effort to

670
00:46:31,089 –> 00:46:33,949
swivel your head around a little bit depending on

671
00:46:33,949 –> 00:46:36,789
which lane you’re playing what direction you’re planning to

672
00:46:36,789 –> 00:46:40,789
change lanes whether it’s to your left or your right make that little bit of

673
00:46:40,789 –> 00:46:44,769
extra effort to look to check your blind spots because your mirrors based on

674
00:46:44,769 –> 00:46:48,689
how they’re adjusted or the size of your vehicle or how your mirrors are aimed

675
00:46:48,689 –> 00:46:52,729
you may not be able to see the blind spots completely down the side of your

676
00:46:52,729 –> 00:46:54,709
vehicle using the mirrors.

677
00:46:54,929 –> 00:47:00,049
So make that little bit of extra physical effort to look to check the blind

678
00:47:00,049 –> 00:47:02,609
spots before you change lanes blindly.

679
00:47:02,809 –> 00:47:07,429
Don’t expect others to be on the lookout for you. You’re responsible for you.

680
00:47:07,589 –> 00:47:10,489
So use those mirrors and use those turn signals.

681
00:47:10,669 –> 00:47:15,109
If you’re not, if you happen not to be concerned about your own safety and well-being,

682
00:47:15,189 –> 00:47:19,649
then just do that as a courtesy to the drivers that may be around you.

683
00:47:20,249 –> 00:47:24,349
You know, again, Again, the overall goal is to do these things,

684
00:47:24,529 –> 00:47:29,149
making us safer drivers, making conditions safer for everyone involved.

685
00:47:30,291 –> 00:47:33,271
Sometimes I take the extra step if I have something valuable,

686
00:47:33,611 –> 00:47:38,191
I’ll not only put it in my glove compartment box, I’ll lock the glove compartment

687
00:47:38,191 –> 00:47:40,571
box. That’s generally when it’s something small.

688
00:47:41,151 –> 00:47:44,051
I don’t carry a lot of small things that I need to lock up.

689
00:47:44,131 –> 00:47:49,791
But if I do put something of value, whatever it is, into the glove compartment box, I like to lock it.

690
00:47:49,831 –> 00:47:52,631
Now, look, you lock your car, you lock your glove compartment box,

691
00:47:52,831 –> 00:47:55,071
you shut and lock your trunk, you know.

692
00:47:55,751 –> 00:48:00,051
If somebody wants to get into your car, they’re going to get into your car.

693
00:48:00,271 –> 00:48:04,531
If they want in your glove compartment box, they can get into your glove compartment box.

694
00:48:04,851 –> 00:48:10,751
It’s all about being a deterrent by making your vehicle less of a target,

695
00:48:10,911 –> 00:48:15,171
less attractive to be hit by someone with ill intent.

696
00:48:16,071 –> 00:48:20,031
So I like to lock up the glove compartment box. If I put things in there,

697
00:48:20,111 –> 00:48:24,551
most of the time I lock them up in the trunk, again, out of sight and locked up.

698
00:48:25,711 –> 00:48:30,611
One of the tips that we’ve talked about too is taking the extra step when I’m

699
00:48:30,611 –> 00:48:32,691
home and I’m pulling into my garage.

700
00:48:32,831 –> 00:48:39,551
I want to back into my garage so that at no time someone can sneak up behind me as I’m pulling in.

701
00:48:39,671 –> 00:48:42,751
And I think that’s a really good tip, but I don’t follow it.

702
00:48:42,831 –> 00:48:44,891
I think that’s a little over the top for myself.

703
00:48:45,591 –> 00:48:49,771
I come home, I pull into my garage, I get out of my car, and as I’m going into

704
00:48:49,771 –> 00:48:54,411
the house, I shut my door down. I’m generally fairly aware of what’s going on,

705
00:48:54,531 –> 00:48:56,831
even when I’m at home and I’m outside.

706
00:48:57,131 –> 00:49:03,311
So that’s not so much a thing for me. But if you’re in a, if you know you’re in a worse part of town,

707
00:49:03,411 –> 00:49:08,271
or if you know your house is way back up off the road where no one can see you

708
00:49:08,271 –> 00:49:11,711
so easily, you might want to consider instead of pulling straight into your

709
00:49:11,711 –> 00:49:13,591
garage, backing into it.

710
00:49:13,611 –> 00:49:18,711
Again, the idea being this allows you clear view of everything down your driveway

711
00:49:18,711 –> 00:49:22,871
and out to the side or the front of your house, however your garage is oriented.

712
00:49:23,471 –> 00:49:29,031
And I’m a proponent of anything that enables you to stay, pay more attention

713
00:49:29,031 –> 00:49:33,571
to what’s around you, to allow you to maintain your level of situational awareness.

714
00:49:33,791 –> 00:49:37,231
I think that’s a good thing. But again, it’s something you can decide for yourself.

715
00:49:37,271 –> 00:49:42,931
For me, I found it a little more than what I needed to do or wanted to do for myself.

716
00:49:43,211 –> 00:49:48,411
But again, your situation, you may want to start backing in as an option for sure.

717
00:49:49,251 –> 00:49:54,631
So this next tip tactic should go without saying, but we see it,

718
00:49:54,631 –> 00:50:00,531
I won’t say fairly regularly, but we definitely see it still to this day from

719
00:50:00,531 –> 00:50:04,011
time to time in the media and hear about it through the news.

720
00:50:04,351 –> 00:50:09,551
So I’ve got to say it because if I didn’t, I’d be remiss. I think is look,

721
00:50:09,591 –> 00:50:12,671
don’t leave your children or your pets alone.

722
00:50:13,412 –> 00:50:18,672
Unattended in your vehicle. Even if you crack the window for them, just don’t do it.

723
00:50:18,752 –> 00:50:22,312
And certainly if you’re going to leave a pet in the car, be sure to leave those

724
00:50:22,312 –> 00:50:27,212
windows cracked significantly so they can get air, especially in the summer months.

725
00:50:27,812 –> 00:50:33,072
If you’re the type of person that needs a reminder, a special bracelet or alarm

726
00:50:33,072 –> 00:50:37,032
on your phone or whatever it is to remind you to get your child out of the back

727
00:50:37,032 –> 00:50:40,832
seat, you probably didn’t need to have that child in the first place.

728
00:50:41,032 –> 00:50:44,252
And that’s just me being completely candid.

729
00:50:44,452 –> 00:50:49,332
But with that being said, even if you’re running into the gas station real quick

730
00:50:49,332 –> 00:50:54,392
to buy your smokes or whatever it is, please don’t leave your children unattended in the car,

731
00:50:54,592 –> 00:50:59,592
unattended in their vehicle, and please don’t leave your pets unattended in the vehicle.

732
00:51:00,692 –> 00:51:07,072
So I think with that, that concludes our episode talking about all things safety

733
00:51:07,072 –> 00:51:08,612
in and around our vehicles.

734
00:51:08,972 –> 00:51:13,052
We’ve talked about everything outside the car that you should check regularly

735
00:51:13,052 –> 00:51:18,112
to ensure that you’re safe and as ready for any road trip as you possibly can.

736
00:51:18,272 –> 00:51:22,092
We’ve talked about the two or three important things that you should do under

737
00:51:22,092 –> 00:51:23,412
the hood from time to time.

738
00:51:23,832 –> 00:51:28,492
And then we’ve talked about what to keep in the car, either inside the cabin

739
00:51:28,492 –> 00:51:30,992
closer to you or in the trunk.

740
00:51:31,092 –> 00:51:36,272
The trunk Trunk becomes a giant keeper of all things needed on road trips for sure.

741
00:51:36,712 –> 00:51:42,232
And then we’ve talked about just several random miscellaneous safety tips and

742
00:51:42,232 –> 00:51:44,452
tactics to follow when we’re in the car.

743
00:51:44,852 –> 00:51:48,952
And I hope you can take away at least one thing that maybe you haven’t thought

744
00:51:48,952 –> 00:51:51,052
about or haven’t employed for yourself yet.

745
00:51:51,112 –> 00:51:52,872
Or maybe you haven’t been sure what

746
00:51:52,872 –> 00:51:56,592
to do or what you should take and keep with you or how to go about it.

747
00:51:56,592 –> 00:52:03,092
And look if you find our podcast valuable and informative please please please

748
00:52:03,092 –> 00:52:06,352
share them with your friends and family because we want to get this information

749
00:52:06,352 –> 00:52:08,772
out there more frequently and,

750
00:52:09,312 –> 00:52:14,492
we want people to know about us and know what we’re doing so if you would tell

751
00:52:14,492 –> 00:52:18,592
your friends and family we would greatly appreciate it and we thank you for

752
00:52:18,592 –> 00:52:23,412
being here with us and we’ll look forward to talking to you the next time thanks so much.

753
00:52:24,240 –> 00:52:42,562
Music.