Every car owner should know how to wash their cars properly. Washing your car can be a bit of hassle, and not everyone enjoys doing it, but it wouldn't hurt to know how to do it, as you can save some money that way and it can be a pretty good pastime. You can do it together with your kids and make a nice and fun day of it. Sure, the physical effort it requires can put some people off, but it could be a good exercise for those who don't do a lot of physical activities throughout the week. Plus, if you do it properly, you will most likely do a better job washing your car yourself than taking it to a car wash.

Before you start washing your car yourself, there are some things that you should be aware of, as you can easily damage your car's paint job if you don't do it the right way. First off, you have to get the necessary supplies, which include car wash mitts, car wash soap, a couple of buckets, and drying towels.

When it comes to mitts, it's best if they are made of microfiber cloth. You can use a sponge instead, as well, but mitts are softer and better for the paint job. Also, you can clean them pretty easily after you're done washing your car. Drying towels should be made of chamois cloth, which is what most people use and it's definitely the best choice. You should get two buckets, preferably with a 5 gallon capacity. One bucket is for the cleaning solution, where you put the soap or shampoo mixed with water, and you'll put clean water in the other bucket where you'll rinse the mitt off.

You can start by washing the tires and wheels. The wheels should be hosed down first, then grab a wheel brush and give the wheels a good scrub. Then, rinse the wheel one more time, and wipe it off with a clean towel. Then, move on to other parts of the car. Spray the car using a hose, and start cleaning it with your washing mitt. Dip the mitt in the bucket filled with cleaning solution. Then, begin wiping the car, starting with the top, and then moving on the lower areas. After washing a certain part of the car, such as a door panel, dip the mitt in the water-filled bucket to rinse it off, and continue washing afterwards. You must remember to wash the car very carefully, don't apply too much pressure, as it can damage the paint. If there are some spots that you can't wipe off so easily, grab a detail brush and try to clean those spots, by pressing the brush gently on the surface.

After you've done all this, take the hose and give the car one last rinse. In the end, dry it out using special drying towels, and make sure you do it right after the final rinse, so that there are no water spots left. It happens quite often, that right after you've washed your car, it starts raining.

Drowsy driving is a serious issue that is causing a lot of troubles and safety hazards on American roads. A recent nationwide study by the Centers for Disease Control, revealed that 1 in 24 adults admitted to occasionally falling asleep while driving. It's not sleeping per se, it's more of a nodding off for a couple of seconds. The study showed that it was more common among men, in their late 20s and early 30s.

Often, drivers nod off while behind the wheel without even realizing it. It could last as little as 1-2 seconds, but that's more than enough time to lose control over the wheel and not being able to hit the brakes in time, hitting another car or straying off the road, driving straight into a ditch or falling off a cliff. According to the most recent statistics that is available, in 2009, drowsy driving was the reason for 30,000 car accidents, 730 of which war fatal.

Sleep deprivation is the obvious reason for drowsy driving. It's recommended that people get at least 8 hours of sleep in order to be able to perform all the daily tasks and stay focused throughout the day. If you haven't slept well during the night, you will be excessively tired, and driving requires you to be well-rested and fresh so that you can keep your eyes on the road and pay attention to what's happening around you.

There are a couple of signs that could reveal a driver is not in the ideal mental and physical condition to be sitting behind the wheel, and that they should immediately stop and rest for a while. If you start blinking frequently, or more than usual, if you notice that your mind is wandering, or you miss an exit, your head starts falling every couple of minutes, if you are not able to drive straight and stay in your lane, you should take it as a warning and realize that you should stop unless you want to hurt yourself or other passengers and drivers.

As far as preventing drowsy driving, the most efficient thing you can do is sleep for at least 7-9 hours, treat any sleeping disorders you might have, such as sleep apnea, which is among the most common sleep disorders, and avoid drinking and driving at any cost.

Adjusting devices or controls in cars while driving is very common. It's most common among the younger drivers, aged 20 or under, and become a trend especially in the US.

Souped up cars became an important social element in the young drivers niche and people are constantly trying to enrich their vehicles both internally and externally.

The devices that are being adjusted the most include: navigation systems, CD players, MP3 players, air conditioners, cell phones.

Adjusting these devices and controls can definitely lead to car crashes. They are a huge distraction to drivers because they have to use their hands and look at them in order to control them. That directs the driver's attention and concentration towards the devices, instead of being focused on driving and keeping the eyes on the road.

There are new technologies that are supposed to eliminate the need of manually adjusting devices or controls in vehicles. Voice recognition softwares are being implemented in cars, so that drivers can give voice commands and controlling devices without using their hands.

That should reduce the number of car crashes that are a result of distracted driving.