When you've earned this badge, you'll know tips for driving safely and how to take care of a car.

Troop 129028 Silver Award Project

The silver award project we have put together is to help you master maintenance tips that keep a car in top form and driving skills that will help you rule the road safely. You will get a handle on basic car maintenance, investigate vehicle safety, research safe driving practices, find out what to do in case of an emergency and drive for a greener world.

Completing this presentation, you'll know tips for driving safely and how to take care of a car. Driving is an exciting step toward independence, a chance to have fun going new places—and a big responsibility. In this badge, you’ll master maintenance tips that keep a car in top form and driving skills that will help you rule the road safely We want to make learning about car care fun for Senior Girls Scouts.

Jocelyn, Mariam & Tara

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Get a handle on basic car maintenance

1. Changing a flat tire

2. Checking tire pressure and wear

How to check tire pressure

How to check if your tires are worn

3. Using jumper cables to restart a care with a dead battery

How to use jumper cables to restart a car with dead battery

Investigate vehicle safety

Investigate Vehicle Safety Game�

• OH NO Vehicle is Breaking Down�First play a fun relay game to get girls moving around and having a little fun. Give each girl a number in her team, as each number represents a different action.

#1 Nervous Driver Three steps forward, 1 step back�#2 Broken steering wheel zig-zags�#3 Dead Battery gets pushed by #4�#4 Dead Battery pushes #3�#5 Flat tire runs dragging one leg�#6 Reverse runs backwards

• Set up two sets of orange cones for an obstacle course, and use one paper steering wheel per team (paper plate). One girl from each team will run around the cones and back and pass their steering wheel onto the next person, first team that finished won. Be sure to have girls do the actions associated with their number above.
• After playing game have a discussion with the girls about different issues that can happen with a vehicle, have leaders and parents share experiences they have had with different age cars, brands, explain recalls to girls, and answer any questions they may have about safety of a vehicle.

#1 Nervous Driver Three steps forward, � 1 step back�#2 Broken steering wheel zig-zags�#3 Dead Battery gets pushed by #4�#4 Dead Battery pushes #3�#5 Flat tire runs dragging one leg�#6 Reverse runs backwards

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Print Steering wheel or

buy a steering wheel cover

Investigate vehicle safety

The national Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a great resource for gathering accident statistics and learning about features that make cars safer.  Once you’ve completed your choice, share your knowledge with your peers.

Recommended Safety Technologies

• Electronic stability control
• Forward collision warning
• Lane departure warning

Of nearly 2,000 drivers ages 16 to 19 surveyed by AAA and Seventeen magazine, 86% admitted to driving while distracted, even though most knew it was dangerous.

The dangerous and distracting activities included:

• Adjusting radio/CD/MP3 player 73%
• Eating food                          61%
• Talking on a cell phone           60%
• Texting                       51.4%

�How Car Safety Became A Major Selling Point

Investigate vehicle safety

Passenger Alert:

• 38% of the teens were afraid they were going to get hurt because they were the passengers of a distracted driver.

STAT:

• It takes just two seconds of taking your eyes off the road to double your risk of getting into an accident.
• Instead, take two seconds to turn off your phone before starting your car.
• If your phone has the option turn on Do Not Disturb

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Teenage Driver 5 Rules to Drive

1. No cell phones
2. No extra passengers
3. No Speeding
4. No Alcohol
5. Buckle up

�Parent‐Teen Driving Agreement

Teenage Distracted Driving

Teenage Driver 5 Rules to Drive

Research safe driving practices

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�1. Pre-Trip Journey Planning

Make sure your car is in good shape so it does not breakdown on the road or have a flat tire.

• Walk around your car and check your tires
• Look at how much gas your car has
• Do you need to map directions to your destinations
• If your car breaks down get away from the car while you wait for help

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Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�2.Set up your infotainment system before you drive

• Set-up your infotainment systems before leaving on a trip. Technology is great and every time we turn around manufacturers are adding more to our vehicles. Be sure to set-up your GPS, radio stations or other techy gadgets before you begin driving.

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�3.Never use phone or text while driving

• That goes for your mobile device too.  Turn on your “Do Not Disturb While Driving” setting to avoid using your phone when driving.

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According to the NHTSA, in the 5 seconds you take your eyes off the road to answer a text message going 55 miles an hour, your car will travel the length of a football field.

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�4. Always wear a seat belt

A seat belt is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduces the likelihood of death or serious injury in a traffic collision by reducing the force of secondary impacts with interior strike hazards, by keeping occupants positioned correctly for maximum effectiveness of the airbag, and by preventing occupants being ejected from the vehicle in a crash or if the vehicle rolls over.

Watch Second chance video

Seat belt statistics show the consequences are deadly �for not using seat belts. In 2020, 1,885 young drivers �(ages 15-20) died in traffic crashes, a 17% increase �from 1,616 in 2019; More than half (52%) were not �wearing a seat belt.

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�5. Hands on the Wheel, Eyes on the Road

• Hands on the Wheel, Eyes on the Road
• Drivers have the most control over their vehicle when both hands are on the wheel and their eyes are on the road. This will also help limit and discourage distracted driving.

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Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�6.Travel the speed limit

• Always travel within the speed limit and if the road conditions are hazardous, then go slower. Speed is involved in approximately 30% of all traffic crashes resulting in fatal and serious injuries.

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The dangers of teen speeding are real. Speeding increases the distance needed to be able to stop the car while reducing reaction time to avoid a potential collision. In fact, among serious crashes where teen driver error was the cause, 21% occurred from going too fast for road conditions.

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�7. Keep a safe driving distance

• Stay a safe distance behind the car in front of you no matter how many people cut in front of you.

Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next).

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�8. Don’t drink and drive

• Never ride with someone who has been drinking
• Have a “sober” designated driver or a taxi cab ready.
• Much easier and cheaper than paying fines, lawyers and increased insurance rates if you are caught.
• It is also safer then risking your life and someone else’s because you decided to drive when you knew you shouldn’t.

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�9. Don’t drive when your tired

• Pull into a safe place if you are tired. Late night?  Not enough sleep?  Drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk, drugged and distracted driving.

About 1 in 10 car crashes are due to drowsy driving, and young drivers, people between the ages of 16–24, account for more than 50 percent of them.

Top 10 Safe Driving Tips�10. Understand your blind spots

• Before you drive properly adjust �your mirrors
• Stay out of other drivers blind spot. You may be in someone else’s blind spot if you are in the lane next to them and the front of your car is even with their bumper or about to the middle of their car. You should only be in this zone for a few moments as you pass someone or as they pass you to minimize the danger.

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• Large trucks have much bigger blind spots. If you can’t see a semi driver's side mirrors, they can’t see you either!

Blindspots

• Play Video

Blind Spot Activity

• Have a car parked and one person sit in passenger seat
• Adjust all mirrors
• Have the other girls stand in front, back and both sides of the car
• Have girls take steps and the driver needs to say when they can not see someone.

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Find out what to do in case of an emergency�

Vehicle Emergency kit

Top 5 Common Driving Hazards or automotive breakdowns

1. Hydroplaning or Sliding out of control

It generally happens when you are driving on a wet road, either covered with a layer of ice or water. The presence of a slippery layer between the tires and the road reduces friction leading to a lack of control. The most obvious reflex of any driver in such a case is to apply brakes, which makes the situation worse.

Precautions:

One should be highly aware of the conditions and adjust the speed accordingly. Drive slowly and apply brakes smoothly to make sure tires can grip the surface. Periodically check the grip on the tires, especially while driving in such conditions.

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Top 5 Common Driving Hazards or automotive breakdowns

2. Tire blowout

A tire blowout can be catastrophic for not only people inside the vehicle but also to others on the road. 

Precautions:

Apart from ensuring well-maintained tires, you should continually screen the road ahead. Give yourself enough time to avoid debris that can potentially lead to a damaged tire.

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Find out what to do in case of an emergency�Top 5 Common Automotive

3. Reckless Drivers

• Reckless driving behavior can occur in different ways. It may involve:
• Driving distracted (texting or talking on the phone)
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Speeding
• Weaving in and out of traffic
• Disregarding traffic signs and signals
• Following too closely
• Driving much slower than the flow of traffic�

If you encounter someone who is driving recklessly, the best thing to do is to maintain a safe distance from that vehicle. Slow down and let drivers who are speeding or driving aggressively pass you by. Maneuver around anyone who is driving too slowly and impeding the flow of traffic.

Top 5 Common Driving Hazards or automotive breakdowns

4. Flooding

• Do not drive through standing water on roads or in parking lots
• The average automobile can be swept off the road in 12 inches of moving water, and roads covered by water are prone to collapse. Attempting to drive through water also may stall your engine, with the potential to cause irreparable damage if you try to restart the engine. If you come upon a flooded street, take an alternate route.

Take extra precautions if you’re forced to drive through water

• If no alternate route exists and you have no other reasonable alternative but to drive through standing water.
• Do your best to estimate the depth of the water (if other cars are driving through, take note of how deep the water is).
• Drive slowly and steadily through the water.
• If you become trapped in rising water, immediately abandon it for higher ground. Try to open the door or roll down the window to get out of the vehicle. If you are unable to get out safely, call 911 or get the attention of a passerby or someone standing on higher ground so that they may call for help.

Top 5 Common Driving Hazards or automotive breakdowns

5.  BRAKE FAILURE

• What to Do: First, don’t assume your brake lights are still working. “Hit your emergency flashers and pump the brake quickly three or four times,” Solomon says. If that doesn’t work, you need to take a lightning-fast look at the floor mat. It’s not uncommon for the mat to get bunched up behind the brake pedal, making it hard to move. Dislodging it while the vehicle is in motion is dangerous, so prevention is key: Make sure your mat is the right fit for your vehicle, is snapped in place if that option is available, and that you haven't stacked mats on top of each other.
• If that looks clear, then go into neutral. “You want to deprive the car of forward motion,” Solomon says. Once you’re in neutral, take your emergency brake—typically a lever with a button on the side console—and begin pumping it up and down. (Some cars have an electronic brake that only requires a button push. Read your owner’s manual.) The brake should lock up the rear wheels and allow the car to come to a stop.
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Drive for a greener world

Drive for a Greener World

You can boost the fuel efficiency of a car by as much as 30% through simple vehicle maintenance and attention to your driving style.

• Compare car efficiencies.  Choose three cars with high fuel efficiency ratings, including one hybrid or electric vehicle.  If you were going to recommend purchasing one of the cars, what are the top three selling points you’d tell the potential buyer?
• Drive less. Almost half the trips we make are to locations within 3 miles of our homes. On a map, draw a three-mile radius around your home.  Come up with at least 3 ways to cut your number of car trips by half.

Compare Car Efficiencies

• Watch video then have each person say what type of vehicle they would select and why

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• Hybrid
• Plug In Hybrid
• Electric
• Gas
• Diesel

Drive for a Greener World

Energy-Efficient-Driving Tips

• Empty your car of unnecessary stuff. Lighter cars use less fuel.
• Check your tires.  Are they inflated to the correct pressure?  Are they worn?
• Check your air filters.  Clogged filters will make your car run less efficiently.
• Drive at a steady pace.  Anticipate traffic flows.  Avoid sudden stops and accelerations.
• Don’t speed.  Cars run most efficiently between 30 and 60 mph.
• Make sure your gas cap is on tightly
• Use air-conditioning sparingly in city driving.  On the highway, roll up the windows, and use the AC if needed.
• Avoid rush-hour traffic.

How does this car stand up?

Divide girls into teams and give each girl a paper that has a steering wheel printed on it. Give each team a different fuel efficient vehicle and before meeting gather information about the vehicle for girls to go through. If you have internet at location even better let the girls look up. Have girls fill the wheel with all the great features, and points to vehicle why would a person buy this car over any other. Then have each group share their findings.

Group Discussion

Describe the feature for the car type below that you select and share the features, and points to vehicle why you would buy this car over any other.

• Hybrid
• Plug In Hybrid
• Electric
• Gas
• Diesel

When you've earned this badge, you'll know tips for driving safely and how to take care of a car.

Congratulation, Senior!

You have earned the

Car Care Badge

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Presented To

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Leader