Cars Catalog

" Skip the DIY Car Wash Washing a car at home uses five to 20 times more water than a professional car wash. You also aren't doing your car any favors: A recent study at the University of Texas proved that a single DIY wash can leave scratches as deep as a tenth of the paint's total thickness. 3. Eliminate Distractions As driving instructors stress, your hands tend to follow where your eyes are looking. Adjusting the radio dial takes 5.5 seconds—and that's 5.5 seconds when his eyes may not be on the road and both hands may not be on the wheel. Dialing a phone triples your risk of a crash. Reaching for a moving object increases it nine times. Worst of all is texting, which makes you 23 times more likely to crash. ""Avoid the temptation to multitask behind the wheel altogether and put your cell phone in the glove compartment every time you get in the car,"" says Ray Lahood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation."