You'd be surprised to know just how many people don't know how to properly jump start a car--let alone the number of people who don't have jumper cables in their trunk in case of a dead battery! Jump starting a car isn't a terribly difficult task, however it's one that needs to be approached with extreme caution and a proper knowledge of what to do, otherwise, it could be extremely harmful or damaging to the person improperly attempting a jump.

At Davenports Locksmith and Roadside Service, we want to make sure that all of our drivers stay safe on the road, which is why we’ve put together a simple step-by-step guide on how to properly jump start in Paragould. Read on if you’re one of the people who’s not familiar with the task:

Make sure the battery is the problem: First things first—make sure the battery is the reason your car isn’t starting. If you turn the key in your ignition and you don’t hear the engine turn over—let alone any noise at all—then it’s a safe bet that you’re dealing with a dead battery and will need a jump start in Paragould.

Turn off the cars: If you’re getting help from someone when jumping your car, it’s important to turn both cars off before you do anything. Make sure engines are off, keys are out of ignitions and there’s no chance that someone will accidently start the car while you’re tinkering around with the cables under the hood.

Connect the positive: The first cable you’re going to place is the positive cable—which is generally the red cable. The positive cable should be secured to the positive terminal of the stalled battery. After that’s done, do the same to the working battery: positive to positive.

Connect the negative: After the positive cable is in place, attach the black cable—the negative cable in this case—to the negative terminal of the good battery. DO NOT attach the negative cable to the negative terminal of the dead battery or you’ll be in for a fireworks show that you really don’t want to see…

Complete the circuit: Connect the remaining negative cable to an unpainted, solid metal surface somewhere under the hood of the dead vehicle. The engine block is a good place to secure the cable, as it’s a solid metal structure that’s stable.

Start the car: After your attachments are in place and everyone is safely away from the open hoods of the cars, fire up the working vehicle. Let it run for about three minutes before turning on the dead vehicle. With any luck, the previously dead car will roar to life with a newfound source of power!

Remove the cables carefully: When it comes time to get the show on the road, it’s important that you remove the jumper cables from the cars in the reverse order that you put them on—negative, negative, positive, positive. Doing this will prevent any accidents during the removal.

Let it run: When everything is running smoothly and your cables are packed away, it’s a good idea to let the previously dead car run for 30 minutes or longer before turning it off again. This will ensure that the battery remains recharged, preventing another stall.

And there you have it: the right way to jump a car! The next time you’re stranded with jumper cables and a friend nearby, put your skills to work and get that motor running again!