As you drive along the road to grandma's house this summer, safety should be your number one priority. No one wants their breaks marred by something like a totaled car or hurt family members. These are the types of accidents that happen to drivers the most, as well as how you can easily avoid them.

On Thursday afternoon, I was hit by a car while walking in the crosswalk, and I had no idea what to do about it.

Video: As someone who lives in a city with a veritable arse load of cyclists, I live in constant fear of hitting one with a car door. But no more, for there is an easy way to make sure this tragedy never befalls you or your friendly neighbourhood bike enthusiasts.

Last year I learned to drive again after a 10-year break. I was surprised how dramatically cars had evolved in that period; I learned to be way lighter on the gas and brake, and whenever I used a rear-view camera to park, I felt like I was cheating.

I didn’t learn this: it’s no longer ideal to hold your steering wheel at '10 and 2.' According to experts, in a crash you could seriously injure your hands by driving in this position.

Children's car seats are complicated. Their mechanisms can get clogged by a errant chip; they're hard to fit in the back seat; they don't work well with loose clothing. And after six to ten years, they expire.

Everything is a little different when you're driving in a foreign country, from laws and etiquette to where and how you pump your fuel. This handy guide gives you the lowdown on getting gas in 30 different countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East and North America.

In a perfect world, we would all ignore our phones while behind the wheel, but the sad truth is that some people just can't resist the dopamine boost of a new text message or Facebook notification.

You step into a street you thought was empty - then you hear it. A car is careening toward you, tyres squealing as the driver slams on the breaks. You have less than a second to react and save your life. Here's what you do.

Getting pulled over by Aussie cops is already nerve-wracking, but when it happens somewhere far from home it can be even scarier. Laws are different, customs vary, and you may have to pay a fine on the spot. Here's what you need to know before you get behind the wheel outside of your home country.

I've always wanted to drive a Tesla. Silent electric motors, instant torque and autonomous driving capabilities? Sign me up. As luck would have it, during my Christmas vacation spent at my partner's parent's home, I was able to drive their Tesla Model S for a week. The experience was, in a word, magical -- primarily because of the differences between a Tesla and a traditional automobile.

In the 1950s, holidaying while black in America was dangerous. The commonplace discrimination occurring during the Jim Crow era meant black travellers struggled to find a hotel room in which to stay, or a restaurant where they could grab a meal. Too often they were met with met with hostility, refused service or worse. So when a brother like me wanted to get out of town, that meant grabbing a Green Book -- a guidebook for black travellers offering tips on how to tour the country safely, as well as a directory of safe holiday destinations.

This week on The Upgrade, we spoke with Steve Casner, author of the book Careful: A User's Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds. Steve is a research psychologist with NASA who studies how and why we get hurt in our everyday activities: Whether we're chopping vegetables, climbing ladders, or just walking down the street. We found out how we can stay safe without hiding in bed all day -- and why we should embrace our bad attitudes.

A good night's sleep is important, especially the night before you hit the road. A recent report suggests that getting just one hour less of sleep than the minimum recommended seven hours may nearly double your risk of getting in an accident the next day.