Safety Tips - What's dangerous and what's not (Continued)

This is our last little section on "What's Dangerous and What's Not Around Your Vehicle".  This is part of the training we've provided for car and Volvo novices for years.  Hopefully you're learning something new!

 6. Cars Blowing Up - It is very rare for cars to blow up.  Cars can blow up after rolling off a cliff, but if you're driven off a steep cliff, you are already in trouble--ha!  Cars can catch on fire (usually due to electrical problems), but even then, it is highly unlikely your car will blow up.  The expression "blowing a head gasket" means the gasket (seal) between the top half and the bottom half of the engine fails, allowing air and/or coolant to leak into the engine cylinders.  A blown head gasket will cause a car to run rough and lose power, and you may see billowing clouds of white smoke at the tailpipe.  It sounds dramatic, but nothing actually "blows up."

 7. Fire - To be on the safe side, never keep gasoline in a container in your car--even in the trunk--because gasoline fumes can ignite very easily.  Electrical fires do occur in cars, although it's not common.  If you do suspect there is a fire in the engine compartment, do not open the hood!  Opening the hood will only give the fire oxygen and make it burn faster.  Turn off the engine immediately, unlatch the hood from inside the car (so when the fire department comes, they can open the hood easily), but keep the hood closed.  Move away from the car and call the fire department.

 Scary stuff......but honestly, people go their whole lives as drivers and never see any of this kind of thing.  BUT, it is important to know how to react in any one of these predicatments.