One of the biggest reasons for accidents in winter driving conditions is losing control of your vehicle. The definition of skid is as follows:

Skid : “An out of control sliding motion as would result from applying the brakes too hard in a car.” - courtesy of Wiktionary.

Staying in control of your vehicle is one of the most important factors when driving in less than desirable conditions. A person should in which direction they want to take their vehicle and keep focus.

Things to avoid doing in winter-like conditions:

• Don’t drive too fast - you don’t have to drive the posted speed limit, less is ok
• Try to avoid sudden steering, braking or accelerating actions

Things a person SHOULD do when driving in winter-like conditions:

• Make sure you are looking ahead
• Give yourself time to react
• Read the road conditions
• Listen to your local radio station(s) to get latest road conditions

Remember, skid prevention starts with the driver.

Young Drivers of Canada have released their 10 tips for safe summer driving. With long weekends and road trips it’s always a good ideo to play it safe on the roads. Be prepared for the worst and always drive safely. These tips should help you get through your summer (and any other time you are on the road) a little better.

1. Practice Preventative Maintenance - check your tire pressure and oil levels often. If need be get a summer maintenance check to make sure everything is up to par.
2. Buckle Up - this one is a no brainer. This should be done any season and antime you are in a vehicle. Buckling up should be something that you do without thought.
3. Plan Your Route - Know which way you are going, how long it will take and possible alternate routes. There are many online map site sthat will help you plan your route. Avoid reading a map while you are driving. There are abundant number of GPS devices available today also that can help you with your trip.
4. Travel Well With Children - again make sure they are buckled in. But also make sure that they have something to do so that they are not disctracting the driver.
5. Traffic Flow - this tip of theirs is very good … “Let’s face it, if everyone treated other drivers as they would like to be treated there would be a lot less problems. When a driver is entering a freeway as you are approaching in the right lane why not change lanes to the left. When a transport truck is close behind you in the middle of 3 lanes why not change lanes to the right. Remember this is the truck’s passing lane.”
6. Wet Roads - know what you can handle when the roads are wet or when it is raining. Slow down and be aware of the cars around you. “If the water is deep enough, the grooves shallow enough and the tire pressure low enough, the tire will lose all contact with the road and glide along on top of a layer of water. This is called hydroplaning or aquaplaning. While the vehicle is hydroplaning it is impossible to brake, accelerate or steer. Reducing speed in advance will allow for more control.” Here is some more information on Traction Driving and it’s definition.
7. Be Aware of Velocitization - “When we accelerate from 50km/h in the city to 100km/h on the freeway, it initially feels like we’re going very fast. After a few minutes, it feels normal. This is velocitization.” Be aware of ramp speeds as when exiting a highway you may feel like you are going slow enough but your actual speed may be too much. Again know what your car handle and what you can handle.
8. Following Distance- “At city speeds, in good weather, the minimum safe following distance is 2 seconds and should be increased to 3 seconds on highways/freeways. The way to measure your following distance is to choose a point of reference ahead such as a building or post. When the vehicle in front passes that point, begin to count – one thousand and one, one thousand and two, etc. Your vehicle should not pass your point of reference until you reach the appropriate count. This gives you enough time to see, react and stop your vehicle safely.”
9. Changing Lanes - Young Drivers of Canada give a nice way on how to chnage lanes properly: “While changing lanes is a very simple task, it produces thousands of collisions each year. The problem is that we cannot see all the potential problems through our mirrors alone. The proper lane change steps are: check the inside mirror to locate a space, signal, look at the side mirror on the way to checking the blind spot and then look ahead into your new lane before drifting over. A final inside mirror check once the change is completed will help ensure safe spacing behind you.” Here are some more tips on Checking Your Blind Spots.
10. Stay Awake - Another no brainer. Staying awake will help you arrive safely. When tired, your reaction time is reduced and awareness is decreased. If you are tired pull over and rest.

For more information and tips visit www.yd.com.

This is one that really gets to a lot of us here. You clearly see it on a daily basis where someone is driving in a lane and at last minute they realize that the lane they are in either leaves the highway/road or ends. The same is true for such cases where there are obstacles in the road or a vehicle is stalled in the lane, but when it comes to lane closures and highway exits there is clear signage before hand that lets people know what is coming up.

Driver’s need to learn to read the signs, read what is coming up and act accordingly. If the sign says no right turn on red, then that means no right turn on red. There are no exceptions. If the sign says the lane ends in 100 metres, you can be pretty sure that it ends in 100 metres. Driving is an experience, not a job or task that you do. While driving is concerned with going from A to B, it is also about arriving safely, smoothly, and being vigilant.

Moving out of exit lanes or ending lanes well before they end exit or end will ensure a safer trip and create less traffic on the roads. Stay alert and help yourself by reading the signs and knowing what is coming up ahead.

This here is something that we all do when we start driving, we always look around to make sure there is nothing there, but as time goes on and we become “seasoned” drivers this is probably something we don’t do as often. Checking your blind spot is a crucial part of driving, especially when changing lanes.

A driver needs to know where their blind spots are in order to accurately check them. A driver’s blind spot is usually at the sides and closer to the rear of the vehicle. These are the areas that you would not see when looking through your side mirrors.

Driver’s need to check these spots in order to ensure there is nothing they may hit (vehicle, pedestrian, or cyclist). Also, one should never drive in another person’s blind spot - if that driver does not check their blind spot they may hit you when switching lanes.

Remember to keep a constant check on what is around you - it’s suggested to check your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds. Checking your blind spot when you are changing lanes will help you keep out of trouble. Keeping out of other driver’s blind spots will help them not hit you!

The literal definition of traction is

“… the friction between a drive member and the surface it moves upon, where the friction is used to provide motion.”
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Better put, traction is what helps you stick to the ground.

With cars, SUVs, CUVs, subcompacts and other vehicles in motion, the higher the friction the better and safer the drive. Traction helps a driver stick to the road, allowing for better manoeuvrability and control. What else makes traction and driving so imprtant:

• traction allows for better control over your vehicle
• traction helps you “stick” to the ground
• traction allows you to move at higher speeds without spinning out or losing control

The following are some more resources for traction driving Winter Driving, Driving in the Rain

A visitor to my site passed on some valuable information. Here, you will find 11 very useful tips when driving near a truck. The tips come directly from the Ontario Trucking Association. The 11 tips are:

• Stay Visible When Behind a Truck
• Roll Back
• Avoid Tailgating
• Stopping Distances
• Backing Up
• Passing Trucks
• Right-hand Turns
• Keep the Centre Lane Open
• Keep Your Distance
• Blindspots
• Construction Zones

This is an interesting concept. To us, using the signal is common sense. Using the signal should be a natural reaction when making a change – a procedure that you do without even thinking about it.

Firstly, lets take a look at a definition of signal courtesy of dictionary.com:

anything that serves to indicate, warn, direct, command, or the like, as a light, a gesture, an act, etc.: a traffic signal; a signal to leave.

From this definition we see that the purpose of the signal is to let people know that something is going to change or that you are about to do something. When you are in you’re vehicle the signal is the only way for you to communicate with other drivers around you. That’s why the signal is such an important part of the driving experience.

We see it more and more on our roads these days where people are moving from lane to lane or making some sort of change and not using the signal. The signal allows you to warn / notify other drivers around you (whether behind or in front of you) that you are making a change. When should you use a signal you ask … let us tell you:

• When making a lane change (obviously)
• When you are going to turn onto another street; the rule of thumb is to turn on your signal about 5 seconds before the turn
• When deviating from a straight roadway; for example when taking the transfer from express to collector
• When turning into a plaza, mall, or anything that doesn’t constitute as a street, and yes, this includes your driveway too
• YES, even when you cut someone up; you should have the courtesy to at least signal

Too many people these days are forgetting one of the basic fundamentals of driving - use your signal. Letting people know what you are doing can go a long way and can help keep our roads safer. So next time you want to make a lane change, or get off on an exit, or whatever the case may be, use your signal.

Check out this post which talks about a certain type of driver and their inability to use the signal.

It’s a simple thing to do, and it mostly pertains to the highway, but move out of the way. It’s really not that difficult to do. When your driving leave your pride at home and make sure you bring your respect.

Now, I know there are some of you out there going I go 140km/h I don’t need to move out of the way of anyone … WRONG! I really don’t care how fast you are going; you have to keep the mentality that someone will always want to go faster. It doesn’t mean there will be, but at least that way you are keeping the left most lane clear. This is where England driving is good. The third lane (there the right most lane) is an overtake lane. The purpose of that lane is to go around the person in front of you and that’s it. Then when it’s safe they scoot back in the middle lane.

Their needs to be a system put in place that trains people not to drive in the left lane. I don’t understand those people that merge onto the highway, go all the way over to the left and sit in traffic. I love to drive past in the first lane and wave. So the next time you do something silly like that and you see someone waving at you … WAVE BACK.

And never believe that the speed you are going at is the speed everyone else should be going at. Whether its fast or slow, you are the only on e at that speed. If you are going slow you should never make it the left most lane. If you are going fast the middle lane should be your primary lane, only using the left lane to overtake.

So it’s a very simple tip this time round … MOVE OUT OF THE WAY.

In reality, very rarely do we drive in ideal conditions. Ideal conditions would include no snow or rain on the road, no potholes, the sun is not in your face, and cars are actually moving. What we do face on a regular basis is not so ideal conditions. This brings me to my next tip: Driving in the Rain.

Here are a few pointers that will help you next time you are on the road when you are tackling anything from a light drizzle to a downpour:

• Plan for your trip to take extra time – you should always take into account road conditions when planning your trip;
• Plan for alternate routes in case your normal routes are busy;
• Slow down – the oil on our roads and water aren’t the best combination, meaning it gets SLIPPERY - less speed = better traction;
• Leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you – this is something you should be doing no matter what the road conditions are like;
• Turn on your headlights – but not your full beams or fog lights - is it really necessary to blind the person in front of you;
• Don’t parallel drive with another vehicle – again this is something you should never be doing but especially during slippery conditions - if you ever spin out you want to ensure there is nothing next to you that you might hit or vice versa;
• Try to stay out of the big puddles - deeper water makes it that much more difficult to control your car;
• Be aware that trucks can spray up a lot of water – try not to drive next to a truck for too long - if you are passing one and they spray up water don’t get scared and brake;
• Avoid heavy braking – you should always have enough distance in front of you that you can start slowing down by lifting your foot off the accelerator or braking very slowly;
• Make sure you’re car is ready to drive through the rain – just as much as we prepare for winter driving we should be vigilant about driving through the rain - ensure your tires are properly inflated, check your wipers regularly, make sure all your lights are working (brake, turn signals), and you should always have an emergency kit in your car;

Next time you are driving in the rain think about these things and maybe you’re trip will go a little smoother

… or at least use a headset or speaker phone. First things first, the cell phone is a powerful technology that has seen vast improvements over the past decade. It’s one of those gadgets that many of us can’t leave home without. I myself am an avid cell phone user and own a Nokia N73 Music Edition. But you see it more and more these days and that’s people talking on their cell phones while driving.

Now, I’m not saying that every person that talks on their cell while driving is a bad driver. But a good 90% are, and we’ve all seen. Here is an example we can all relate too … the person in front of you starts to brake, there’s nothing in front of them, you pass them to only see them on their cell

So this brings me to my first tip: GET OFF THE CELL PHONE … or at least use a headset or the speaker phone if the cell has one. One of the biggest distractions out there is you talking to a buddy or spouse or family member about some thing or another. But you taking your mind off the road for that one split second could mean the difference between arriving home safely or getting in a fender bender. And while you may be skilled enough to drive with just one hand (which most of us do) you need to have that second one available just in case.

So what should you do when a call comes in:

• Let the answering machine take it, that’s what it is there for;
• Use your headset;
• Put it on speaker;
• If you have to take the call be selective, take only the important ones and pull over to a safe area on the side and take the call;
• DON’T BRAKE;
• Watch the road!
• Keep both your hands on the steering wheel, or at one hand on the steering wheel and the other available just in case;

We’ve all seen the signs … Drive Now Talk Later. It makes sense. So make the call to not answer your cell.