Rules of the Road: Don’t Leave Your Dome Light On Or You’ll…

If you’ve ever stepped into your car, put the key in the ignition and turned it only to hear a clicking sound, then you know how frustrating it is to have a dead battery. If you’re prepared, then you’ve got a set of jumper cables in your trunk for just this situation but even then, you’ll have to find someone to assist you. Of course, there’s also the people who aren’t prepared with jumper cables and then not only do you need to find someone to help you, you need someone that actually has the tools as well.

This is why it’s always a good idea to double check all lights before exiting the car. Just a quick glance around will let you confirm that you’ve shut off all dome lights, all doors are properly closed or that there isn’t any other potential battery draining going on. It’s one of those steps that people think is just being too careful or paranoid but once you’ve gone through the ordeal of having a dead battery, it’s hard to justify not taking a second to do it.

When you’re actually jumping the car, there are a few things you should remember. The red clips should go on the positive terminal (generally marked with a “+”) while the black clips should go on the negative terminal (marked with a “-“) of the car with the live battery. On the car with the dead battery, red goes on the positive but the black needs to be grounded on metal. Be sure to ask for help if you don’t remember in that situation.