Short PDF booklets built from our safety and symptom guides, laid out for printing on US Letter. Free to print, copy and hand out unchanged: for the glovebox, driver education classes, school and campus safety pages, fleet safety meetings and library handouts.
Dashboard warning lights and messages: the first 60 seconds
What each light is telling you, which ones mean stop now, and what to check before you call anyone. One page on red lights, one on amber, one table of the driver-assistance messages on Toyota, Honda, Subaru and Ford (“Pre-Collision System Malfunction”, “Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem”, “EyeSight Disabled”, “Pre-Collision Assist Not Available”) and what to clean or check before the dealer.
- 7 pages, 4.7 MB. Reviewed by Marcus Holt, Senior Diagnostic Technician. October 2026.
- Download the PDF
- Online versions with model-specific detail: Pre-Collision System Malfunction, battery light while driving.
Jump-starting a car safely
The four-clamp order and why it is not symmetrical, the inspection before the first clamp goes on, where the last black clamp goes, the disconnect order, common mistakes, what it means when the car starts and then dies, the two-minute multimeter test for the next day, and the cases where a jump is the wrong answer. Hybrid and EV notes included.
- 8 pages, 6.2 MB. Reviewed by Ray Donovan, Fleet Maintenance Specialist. October 2026.
- Download the PDF
- Online versions: jumper cable connection order, car starts with a jump then dies, how to test a car battery with a multimeter.
New driver car safety checklist
For teen drivers, student commuters and anyone in their first year with a car. The two-minute checks before every trip, what changes at night and in bad weather, which warning lights mean stop, what to do at a breakdown, a flat tyre or a car-park bump, what to keep in the car, the essential first-aid layer, and a one-page version to cut out for the door pocket.
- 7 pages, 2.6 MB. Reviewed by Jamie Kowalski, Service Advisor. October 2026.
- Download the PDF
- Online versions: teen driver car safety checklist, student driver campus checklist, car first aid kit checklist, winter car emergency kit.
Using and sharing these guides
- Print and distribute freely for non-commercial use: driver education, school and university safety programmes, workplace and fleet safety, libraries, community groups. Please keep the documents unchanged, including the sources and the thefixcar.com attribution.
- Link to this page rather than re-hosting the files, so your readers always get the current revision. Each booklet carries its revision month on the cover.
- Corrections. If you find an error or a manufacturer message we have not covered, tell us through the contact page; see also our editorial policy.
- Not a substitute for the owner’s manual of a specific car, which remains the authority for its symbols, procedures and limits.