How To Jumpstart Your Car

Anyone with a vehicle will have to jumpstart it at some point. Although roadside assistance is but a phone call away, knowing how to jumpstart your car is one of the many driving tips every car owner should know. 

1. All you need to jumpstart your car is a pair of working jump leads and a working car. 
2. Ensure that both cars are parked with the handbrake up, close enough for the jump leads to reach each car. Position them with the part of the vehicle that carries the battery facing each other, most have the battery in the hood, but in some, they may be under the boot. Detangle the jump leads, open the hood of each car, and locate their respective batteries. 
3. Car batteries contain a positive and a negative terminal, the positive will be shown with a + and a - symbol denotes the negative terminal. The jump leads have a red and a black section, each with a clamp on the end. The red section of the leads should be clamped to the positive terminal and the black to an earthing metal point, such as a bolt in the bonnet. 
4. It’s advisable to connect the clamps to the flat battery first as it's not live, as well as connecting them away from the mechanics to avoid igniting a spark. Then following the same order, connect the other clamps to the working vehicle. Do not allow the clamps to touch each other or yourself at any point. Start the car with the working battery and let it run for a few minutes before starting the car with the flat battery. 
5. Once the vehicle starts, leave them connected to allow it to keep feeding off the other car. Disconnect the clamps in the reverse order from how you connected them. Close the bonnet of each vehicle and drive the problem vehicle around for around 10 minutes, giving it time to charge. 

In the case that your vehicle doesn’t start, there could be a more serious issue and you’ll need to call a mechanic. In normal cases, these steps will have your car running in no time. Best of luck!