Don Chaikin was named automotive editor of POPULAR MECHANICS magazine in February, 1994. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing all automotive content in the magazine, which includes assigning all articles and approving all concepts, ideas and text that appear in the automotive section. Additionally, Chaikin oversees the automotive editorial content on the POPULAR MECHANICS Web site.

Chaikin has been an automotive journalist and editor for well over two decades. He began his editorial career at the now-defunct Cars magazine?a New York-based monthly magazine for auto enthusiasts. At that publication's demise, he went to become the first ever automotive editor at MechanixIllustrated, later known as Home Mechanix, where Chaikin twice won the CBS Magazine Award for Editorial Excellence. Chaikin then joined Popular Mechanics in 1992 as a freelance and contributing editor.

Chaikin is one of only two people to serve three terms as president of the prestigious International Motor Press Association and is a recipient of an International Wheels Award for automotive journalism. He graduated from Brooklyn College with Honors in Creative Writing and resides near the New Jersey coast.