If you're driving a rental or friend's car, there's often a moment of panic when you don't know which side the gas tank is on. Luckily, there's a simple trick.

A ruptured gas tank could leak fuel, creating a fire hazard. Hyde played a key role in studies at Ford on T-bone accidents, one conducted in the 1980s and another in the 1990s.

For this story on how to tell which side your gas tank is on, Jill Schildhouse tapped her experience as a travel writer and an avid traveler who spends approximately 150 days on the road each year.