Far too few families know how to use the automobile intelligently. There are endless opportunities for travel and enjoyment that can be had for little expense, provided you know where to look for them, and how to capture them. In the following section you will find more complete descriptions of family activities for the car. Our concern right now is how young people can utilize the car to the best advantage and how they can help the family use it.

Getting Ready

Getting ready for a trip, no matter whether it is an afternoon picnic or a week's gypsy trip through the mountains, can be one of the most interesting parts of the whole adventure. Here's where you can do some "good-deeding" by keeping the family, if they do not know how to plan and prepare, from developing a real headache over where to go, how to get there, what to take, and how to pack it. It's all very simple when you know how. Just keep your ears and eyes open to hear and read about interesting places to visit. When you come upon one that catches your fancy, either take yourself to a near-by garage and get a road map or ask a person who has been at the spot to give you all the details.

What to take of course will depend on place, time, and mood. However, the matter of packing boxes, bathing suits, cases, thermos bottles, and the like is a skill for you to develop as a leisure-time activity. One of these days, when time hangs heavy on your hands, just go to the garage and do some mental packing for the fun of it. Ask yourself, "If I were going to the beach and taking this, that, and the other thing, how could I pack it? What would fit in the trunk? Shall we use the running board?" and so forth.

You'll be amazed at how clever you'll appear when the day of reckoning arrives and there stands reality in the shape of cases, boxes, and lunch to be stowed in a small space for the trip.

Changing A Tire

Perhaps the time when Dad will appreciate you most will be that moment that seems like a year - the one just after a flat tire has developed. Meet it with a "what of it" attitude and the announcement that it can be repaired in a jiffy.

In the good old days tires used to last only a few hundred miles. Today a good tire will carry a car 30,000 miles or more. Even now, however, there are nails and glass to deflate the strongest of tires. So one must be prepared to change a tire at any time. The wise young person can learn the tricks of this game quite easily as he goes along. By knowing the tools, where they are carried, and how to use them, he can be preparing for the time when his own car may have a similar mishap. This is a job that practice will help make perfect, and, incidentally, your help will speed the trip and lighten the work all around.

Where will you find the information on how to do it? You will find it in many places. All libraries carry books on their shelves dealing with the mechanics of cars. If there is a garage near your home, you have a chance to see experts turn the trick; and if you're clever, they may let you do a bit of the job yourself.

While changing a tire en route, be cautious; accidents occur when this process is going forward. You should make certain that your car is off the road if it is at all possible. If you are changing the tire at night, be sure that your lights are on. Have one member of your party walk back a few yards with a flashlight, because you might hide the taillight occasionally while you are at work, and oncoming cars would not see you. Day or night, walk close to the car and do not stand in the road as a tenpin for onrushing automobiles.

Care Of The Car

Many of us have become so used to modern cars and the service the garage gives us that we forget that the automobile is a complicated mechanism and needs careful attention if it is to work properly. There are countless little details about the proper care of a car that can be learned while you travel with the family. How often should the oil be changed, how often should water be added to the battery? How can you tell whether the battery is charging properly? What pressure should the tires hold? How should the radiator be protected against freezing? Where is the owner's license kept and of what use is it? What are all of the gadgets on the dashboard? What tells how much gas you have in the tank and how can you be sure that it is working? How often should the motor be checked? What is the best kind of polish to use, and how often should the car have a going over? You can solve these and hundreds of other problems. Learning about such things is the best kind of training for the time when you will have your own car.

Watching A Good Driver

There is a great deal to be learned by observing how various drivers control a car. It is a pleasure to ride with some drivers because one feels secure with them at the wheel. In a car with a skillful pilot, one can relax and enjoy the scenery. He will pay strict attention to the job at hand. He is relaxed and easy in manner but does not neglect the details of watching for oncoming cars before passing, or of slowing down at dangerous crossings. One gets the feeling that the car is under complete control at all times.

When riding with a good driver, note how he starts his particular car. See where the ignition is, how the starter is pressed, and how much gas he gives it. Watch his feet when the car is ready to start in motion. See how smoothly he can start it rolling by the proper control of the clutch.

On The Go

As a car rolls along the highway, it is possible to pick up many ideas about handling it correctly. For example, there are ways of saving the brakes on long hills by using second or low gear. One can also learn the causes for stalled motors or how to listen for something amiss in the engine. It is usually possible to tell when the radiator is dry by the smell of the car and to tell when a tire is low by the motion of the car when it passes over small rough spots. Difficulty in steering the car will show that something is most likely wrong with one of the front tires. There are even moments of emergency, when one can see what the driver does. Examples are tire blowouts and sudden slippery spots in the road. There is no better way to learn than to watch an expert do a clever job. When your turn at the wheel comes, you'll have a number of valuable pointers to help you in a similar pinch.