Neutron generator and laser Doppler vibrometry, sound familiar? These are the technology used to detect car bombs, brought to mind by the killing of another Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran Wednesday.

The threat of car bombs is real, and whether a person is paranoid or just plain staying safe, how can people check if their automobiles have been rigged to blow up?

According to reports, two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb on Iranian scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan's car, which caused his death.

These improvised explosive devices can be placed in either the interior or the exterior of cars - of course, in the most inconspicuous of places, according to ListMyFive.com. And as tried and tested by Hollywood, these bombs can be triggered by either a remote device or a timer.

How can people go about checking their cars?

The first thing that a person should do before entering his car and heedlessly turning the key is to look around. Look for any suspicious persons loitering about that are ready to push the button at any given moment.

When the coast is clear, the attention must now focus on the car and the place where it's in. Look around for any tampering; weather it's footprints or foreign objects lying around, or car doors, trunk, or hood not being the way it was when it was left - carefully inspect the car. In inspecting its insides, look through the window first to try and see if there are any suspicious looking packages.

And when everything seems to be OK, go ahead and cautiously and slowly open the trunk, check at all the nooks and crannies. Then after that, carefully open the all of the doors, if that's clear move on to the interior itself - the checklist as to what to inspect are the crevices, around and under the car seats, ashtray, glove compartment, and music player. With that done, move on to the hood and try to see if anything has been tampered or if there's anything strange.

And finally, the infamous part of the movie where the hero pushes the key in and turns it. Once the car has started, listen for any unusual noises. Start slowly when moving and feel for any differences in handling. If everything seems to be the way it is, feel free to drive anywhere without any worry.

Though this may take a while to do, bear in mind that this can save a life, so what's a few minutes?

But in the event that there is a bomb and it's ticking away, the best thing to do is to get away as fast as one can - no time for heroic slow motions and explosions happening in the background.

According to a car bomb table by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, for a compact sedan, the safe distance is 457 meters away from the car; 534 meters for a full-size sedan; 838 meters for a cargo van; 1,143 meters for a small box van; 1,982 meters for a fuel truck; and 2,134 meters for a semitrailer.