Buttons in the car that at least 50% of drivers don’t know about

You studied at a driving school, passed your license, and you can safely join the traffic. But as practice shows, not everyone is familiar with the features of their own car.

Today, even wristwatches can have several hundred pages of instructions. What can we say about the operating manual for an entire car - not everyone can handle it! We have prepared a small educational program, but first, a short test. If you can explain without preparation what the following symbols mean, then you are an experienced and thoughtful driver. In a word, you don’t have to read any further. However, nothing prevents you from checking your loved ones in the same way.

The first two symbols indicate fog lights (FTL). But as it turned out, even drivers with many years of experience do not always distinguish them from each other. The pictogram in which the conventional luminous flux is directed downward refers to the front PTFs, and the one where the luminous flux extends horizontally refers to the rear ones. In a modern car, it is impossible to turn on the rear fog lights without the front ones. The corresponding symbol on the instrument panel lights up.

Got it? In this case, let us remind you that traffic regulations are very loyal to the use of front fog lights. Even during daylight hours, they are allowed to be turned on instead of low beams to indicate a vehicle on the road. And at night it’s difficult to blind someone with standard front fog lights. The rear fog lights are another matter. The Rules state that they “can only be used in conditions of poor visibility.” Don't forget about this, because being stuck in a traffic jam behind a car with the rear fog lights on is extremely unpleasant. From a short distance, a bright source of light - especially at night - can blind.

The next pictogram is an incomprehensible mystery for most modern taxi drivers. Whenever possible, I ask the driver what this button is for, and I get very different answers: from “I have no idea” to “so that the windows don’t sweat.”

There are two generally accepted designations. The second one looks like this:

A button with this symbol turns on air recirculation in the cabin. This mode prevents the entry of air from outside along with road dust and exhaust fumes. An irreplaceable thing if a smoking and smoking truck from the “era of stagnation” suddenly appears in front of your car. The recirculation mode can also be used for rapid cooling (in summer) or heating of the interior (in winter). But when recirculation is turned on, the car windows often fog up, so it is better to use this mode with the air conditioner running.

Another button is so secret that it is even hidden under an individual plug next to the automatic transmission selector. If you have classic hydromechanics, then most likely there is a Shift lock button. It is used in emergency cases to unlock the automatic selector. Press it, and the gear lever moves seamlessly into neutral. Now you can move the car (drag it onto a tow truck) without starting the engine.

Now comes the hard part. Take a look at the photo:

These buttons disable the standard alarm system. If you click on the one where the car is depicted on a slope or next to a hook, you can evacuate a closed car at night without fear of waking up your neighbors with the howl of a triggered security system. Another button turns off the ultrasonic sensors that are located on the ceiling. They detect movement in the cabin. As planned, this function allows you to lock the car, leaving your pet inside. It's just not worth doing this. The animal may suffocate or suffer heatstroke. In this case, the owner faces the article “Cruelty to Animals” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. So tape that button over and never use it.

And finally, a useful life hack. If you periodically find yourself driving different cars and every time you drive into a gas station, you begin to frantically remember which side the tank flap is located on, just look at the fuel level indicator. Most cars have a small arrow next to the corresponding pictogram, which just points to the side of the car you need.