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Rain, rain, go away, come again another day. Remember that little song as a kid? I sometimes have that song in my head even as an adult. Mainly because there are things I need to do and the rain slows down my day. The main thing the rain does to many drivers is slow down their progress of reaching their destination. Drivers will tend to drive a little slower when the roads are wet. Do you do the same? There are a few more risks about driving in the rain that many drivers tend to ignore.

The obvious problems are the slippery roads. To reduce the risk of sliding on wet roads, check the air pressure in your tires on a regular basis, including the spare tire. To find out the best tire pressure, check the inside door-jam of the driver’s door to determine what pressure the front and rear tires require for your vehicle. The sidewall pressure is only the maximum and not the required pressure for each tire. If the tires are properly inflated, you’ll have more tread reaching the road surface, thus giving you better traction.

When was the last time you checked the tread depth on your tires? The minimum tread depth across the entire face of your tires should be roughly 3 mm deep. Once you lose that depth you’re taking a higher risk on poor road conditions. Beware of hydroplaning as a vehicle can hydroplane easily on any wet surface. If you aren’t sure what hydroplaning is, think of it as your tires riding on the surface of the water; kind of like surfing. Stay away from puddles and standing water if possible. If hydroplaning happens, ease off the gas to allow the transmission to reduce speed gradually. Braking may just cause a loss of control. Avoid making harsh stops or turns as well. Give yourself plenty of time to make those moves while driving in the rain.

Another problem driving in the rain includes our windshield wipers. Wipers will tend to last roughly one year before they should be replaced. Most drivers tend to struggle seeing up the road effectively because their wipers streak too much. Why struggle when a good solution is replacing the wipers? Most drivers will replace once broken, but if you can’t see effectively, aren’t they broken? Before you do replace the wipers, clean the wiper blade with a cleaning solution. The rubber of the wiper can easily build up with grime which causes the streaks. Cleaning the wiper blade regularly may get you a little more life from the wipers.

Windows tend to fog up with the rain and the humidity from inside the vehicle, so keep an eye on your ventilation. Turn on the window ventilation before the windows begin to fog up. This will allow you to keep your visibility when visibility is normally reduced. This includes the rear window defogger as well.

One of my pet peeves is drivers who tailgate the driver ahead of them. This is a bad habit at any time, but extremely bad during wet roads. You need to give yourself time to see the brake lights of the driver ahead, time to move your foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal and then the actual time to stop your vehicle. At city speeds, you should normally be 2 seconds behind the driver ahead of you, but on wet roads, increase that space to 3 or 4 seconds. Since your tires have something between them and the pavement, it may cause a lack of friction which causes a lack of traction. That, plus the fact your brakes are now wet can also mean your stopping distance will be increased.

If you also look ahead of the traffic and see brake lights up the road, it will give you early notice that you’ll need to slow down. Driving in the rain is not like driving on dry pavement. Make the necessary changes in your driving style and then you and everyone else can arrive at your destinations safely.

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The passion I have for road safety goes beyond driving a motor vehicle; it also includes walking, running, cycling, skateboarding and anything you can think of. Distracted driving is huge within our society so being aware of the dangers that can be sent our way is important. Even if you’re careful, something may go wrong so being prepared is always a good idea.

I know I’m not the only person who feels the same way. I recently watched a father of a young child wander down my street pulling a wagon. The young child he had in the wagon was sitting in a car seat with belts attached. What a creative way to ensure his child was safe within the wagon. I remember when my kids were all very young and I would constantly keep checking to ensure they were sitting down while riding in the wagon. It made me a distracted walker for sure.

How young were your kids when you started to speak to them about road safety? Did you wait until they were riding their bikes on the road? Did you do it because they were walking to school and had to cross the street? Whatever the reason, it’s never too young to teach them about safety.

One of my sons is an avid skateboarder. He’ll ride his long board to school when the weather is nice, but we do have rules for him. He has to wear his helmet and he has to obey the rules of the road and watch for vehicles. He knows if he breaks any of those rules he’ll lose his privilege of riding his long board for a while. He made the mistake of not wearing his helmet previously and lost his riding privileges so he knows I take it seriously.

Seatbelts are also something that is taken seriously in our home. There was a time when my son’s friend invited my son to an outing that his mom was driving him to. When he got home he explained that he and his friend shared a seatbelt during the hour commute. I was shocked, angered and disappointed that a parent of another child would put someone else’s child at risk of injury, let alone their own child. My son knew it was wrong since he grew up with understanding road safety, but he trusted the adult in the vehicle.

I think that’s the thing to recognize here; we’re adults. As adults we need to teach our kids about road safety. Not because it’s the law, but because of what could happen to them if there was a problem. Mistakes happen and we need to be ready to protect ourselves just in case. It also gets them more prepared once they begin to drive. My older son doesn’t even hesitate about safety now that he’s driving. Was this because he was taught early about safety? Perhaps, but in my eyes, you’re never too young to learn.

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I recently had a long-time friend pass away. It was unexpected and was caused by a heart attack. I was able to attend the visitation but was unable to go to the funeral or travel to the cemetery for the burial. Ironically, I was also recently asked shortly afterwards about the responsibilities of drivers who are driving in a funeral procession. Those responsibilities change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Are you aware of what you’re able to do and not able to do if you’re one of those drivers?

I think we all want to do the proper thing, but sometimes we may take a few risks just to keep in line with the procession ahead of us. In most of Canada, including Ontario, you must follow the rules of the road and stop at red lights and stop signs before proceeding. Provinces such as Alberta allow you to continue through red lights and stop signs, provided it’s safe to do so. In most US states and in the UK, you must follow the rules of the road as well. If you’re unsure about your own jurisdiction, check with the leader of the procession, which is usually a member of the funeral home and find out what the rules are of your jurisdiction.

Regardless of those rules that allow the procession to enter intersections on red lights and to run stop signs, they must do so in a safe manner. Right of way is still something that should be given, not taken. Even if your jurisdiction allows for a funeral procession to enter intersections on red lights, you still must ensure other drivers have seen you and are yielding to you and the procession. In some jurisdictions you must have flags attached to your vehicle to indicate you are part of the procession. Drivers will also have their headlights on, but with so many vehicles having daytime running lights now, it’s hard to tell who’s in the procession and who isn’t.

Now, let’s talk about the general population. If you come across a funeral procession you should give way and avoid interrupting the flow by joining in the procession line if you aren’t part of the procession. Please be patient and allow the procession to pass before you proceed. It’s about respect after all, isn’t it? The last time I was in a procession was a year ago for another friend who passed away. Many people who were part of the procession got lost on the way to the cemetery because other drivers interrupted the procession. It can be very difficult and can also be unsafe if you’re just following the driver ahead of you. You’re main focus remains with the driver ahead of you and you may lose focus on the rules of the road and road safety because you’re afraid of losing the procession.

My best suggestion is to find the address of the cemetery and make a route plan to ensure you still know where you’re going in case you lose the procession. This way you can still remain in line of the procession and reduce the risk of attempting to run red lights and stop signs just to attempt to stay with everyone else. There’s always a chance you may catch up to the rest of the procession further up the road, so avoid taking chances. Remember, no one wants to be late for any funeral.

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I’ll often remind my kids to do their chores, their homework and to get ready for school or activities. I’ll often write myself notes to do things so I won’t forget. We often need reminders to do things. Even licensed drivers need constant reminders too, which is why I write these driving articles.

Speed limit signs are often posted many times along the road so drivers will remember what speed to do. There just seems to be the issue with many drivers that they want to drive too fast at the wrong times. To help these drivers, many jurisdictions will put up speed bumps to help keep the drivers traveling a little slower. Since drivers can’t seem to remember to keep their speeds reduced in parking lots or in subdivisions, speed bumps have been placed along the road to “remind” the drives to do so.

These speed bumps can also be called speed humps or even road humps. I think speed bumps should really be called slow bumps. You need to drive slowly over these or else you’ll bottom out your vehicle and cause damage to your vehicle. I’ve witnessed drivers not slowing down and all and they end up bouncing almost out of control until the driver realizes they need to stop to regain control once again.

Speed bumps were first into the driving community in the early 1900’s in North America. Although vehicles couldn’t drive so fast during that era, it was thought that they were still going too fast for the safety of pedestrians. The reasoning for speed bumps still remains the same; pedestrian safety.

Perhaps we need to see more of these in residential areas. I know stop signs every block or so help to keep the speeds of drivers down, but perhaps speed bumps can do more, especially near parks or school zones. On the other side of the coin, many people over the years have placed concerns over having too many speed bumps.

The response time for emergency services can be longer, it may divert more traffic to areas that do not have speed bumps, among others. I can see these points, so if drivers learned to keep their speeds reduced, they won’t need speed bumps to begin with. Sometimes there are rules put in place to help protect the general public. You may not necessarily agree with those rules, but you could at least respect them.

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I was brought up in such a way to respect other people. There should be no time when my actions should be considered as selfish actions as an inconvenience other people. For example, I will often hold the door open for someone who is following me or has their hands full that opening the door would become difficult, even though I may be in a hurry. I try to think of others whenever I can. I also take this attitude into the vehicle when I’m driving. Do you do the same?

Recently, a colleague of mine had passed through this parking lot and saw these vehicles all parked close to each other. Based on what I could see, the white van on the right was parked first and had to park slightly on the line as the vehicle on their passenger side was off-centred in their parking space. The driver of the white van was courteous enough to allow room for the driver of the vehicle to their right to enter their vehicle. However, the driver of the car to the driver’s side of the white van seemed to care less about the driver of the white van. (Confused yet?) Was this on purpose? I think it had to be since their vehicle was also close to the parking line to their right. Why would they do such a thing?

Considering the driver of the car had more than enough space on the driver’s side, I personally feel it was intentional. Were they annoyed with the driver of the van for parking partially in “their” space? Were they trying to “punish” the driver of the white van for parking where they did? The driver of the white van is now basically stuck in that space, unless they can make it through the back of the van into the driver’s seat. If that area of their van is blocked, they’ll have to wait for one of the two drivers to return to their vehicle before they can get into their own vehicle. Can you say major inconvenience? Can you say frustrated? Can you say unjustified?

For the driver of the car beside the van, did they even have to park in a space that narrow? Could they have gone into a different space? Even if that was the only remaining space available, you really do have to remember about revenge. What could the driver of the white van do to the car to “get back” at the driver of the car for parking so close to the van? Would you consider this to be “parking rage” instead of road rage?

The thing to remember is that not only should we be courteous drivers, but also be courteous parkers. Do whatever you can to make life easier for you but also for those around you. After all, my friend karma still visits parking lots too.

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It’s that time of year; kids outside playing, having fun with their friends. With the nice weather comes more outside activities. As a father of four kids, I’m often tied up with getting involved with their activities such as coaching baseball, soccer and camping. Another common activity a lot of kids have is searching out for the mobile ice cream truck. But with the excitement that it brings to kids, it also brings risk to drivers.

I remember as a kid hearing the ice cream truck’s music coming down my street. It didn’t matter that I had just finished a big dinner and was completely full. I needed ice cream! I think that’s so common with most kids. I used to dash out of my house, look and listen to where the truck was and take off in that direction with money in my hand. I had one thought on my mind; ice cream. I wasn’t looking for cars driving by. I needed my hit of over priced ice cream to complete my day. And I needed it every day, not just once a week.

Many kids still have the same feelings I had and with that we, as drivers, need to protect our young citizens when the distraction of the ice cream truck enters our neighbourhood. Even though there are signs posted on many ice cream trucks to remind drivers to slow down and watch for children, they don’t. You can always expect the kids to dart out to reach the truck before it leaves to go to another location and then run back to show their friends and parents what they bought. If you predict that this may happen, you’ll be better prepared for it if it does.

I’ve been fortunate that the ice cream truck that comes down my street has always stopped on my side of the street so my kids didn’t have to run across the street. I’ve thought about telling my kids that when they hear the music from the ice cream truck that it means it is out of ice cream. I thought that may stop them from asking me. However, I never did say that to them; yet.

Now, a good way to tell if a child may run out from behind the truck is to glance under the vehicle to look for their feet. From a distance, this can be easily done. Since the wheels of the vehicle are the only part of the vehicle that touches the road, you should be able to see under the body of the truck. This will only work if you do this ahead of time and not too close to the truck. The angle from a distance is better to spot their feet than the angle close to the truck. All you have to look for is feet. Don’t wait until the feet are in motion toward your part of the road. Be a proactive driver and do something early.

Now that you’ve spotted the feet, reduce speed and drift toward the opposite side of the road, with no oncoming vehicles of course. This will give you more time to respond to the child running out plus it gives you and them a better angle to see each other if that does happen. After all, no driver wants to have a child creamed by a driver passing by.

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Many people over the years have tried a variety of things to make their driving easier. The automakers brought in power steering and power brakes decades ago so drivers could brake and steer with much more ease. More electronic devices have been made readily available over the past decade to help drivers maneuver their vehicle with ease as well. But every now and then, we find things that drivers used years ago to help them that driver have now placed on newer vehicles. The spinner knob seems to have made its return.

Back in the 1950’s you would find these devices on many a vehicle. With manual steering, the spinner knob made it easier to turn the steering wheel, or so we thought. Today, you may find these on large trucks and construction vehicles so the driver could steer with ease, especially while trying to back up a trailer. You would also find updated versions of this on vehicles where the driver has either one usable hand or reduced use of their limbs. Having hand controls readily available now makes it easier for drivers with disabilities to get around.

For drivers that have the ability to steer with both hands, it’s better if they remove the spinner knob. The spinner knob doesn’t allow the driver to feel the steering quite as well compared to having two hands on the wheel. For drivers that also use two hands to steer with, the spinner knob can get in the way if they let the wheel slide through their fingers on the recovery. The knob can hit their hands causing the recovery to become jerky and momentary loss of steering control.

So who can get a spinner knob? In most jurisdictions you need either government approval or medical approval to get a spinner knob or any other hand controls. Other than this, licensed driving instructors and driver rehabilitation specialists can also get these put into their vehicles to help those in need. At Young Drivers of Canada, we have a number of instructor vehicles with full hand controls such as hand control gas and brake and also left foot gas pedals; not just spinner knobs. We use them with novice drivers and also licensed drivers who need to be taught how to use them. These are drivers who need these devices and not just want them.

I’ve heard of drivers who fumble with the steering wheel while driving. Their mobility with their arms or hands has decreased significantly over the years. Perhaps they weren’t aware of the spinner knob or any other devices to help drivers in need. If you know someone who may benefit from hand controls, ask them to speak with their family doctor or a specialist. They aren’t as expensive no as they were ten or so years ago. Search around your area for a hand control supplier and installer if you are in need or know someone who is.

Perhaps they can also get the training they require to learn how to use these devices to help them stay in control of their vehicle. Staying in control and keeping their mobility is important to many people. After all, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

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I think we’ve all heard the saying “you can’t see the forest because of the trees”, but sometimes it should be “you can’t see the road because of the hedges”. Having good visibility is the key to entering intersections safely, but sometimes it can be tough to see clearly enough to proceed into intersection. What do you do if trees or hedges are blocking your view?

Back in 1988 when I first became a driving instructor with Young Drivers of Canada I began teaching two sisters how to drive. They lived on a corner lot and had hedges surrounding their property. It was always a little difficult for them, and me, to see past these hedges to know it if was safe to enter the intersection after stopping at the stop sign.

After a couple of weeks of lessons, I went back to their house to pick them up and the hedges were cut down to half the size. They were only roughly two feet off the ground now. When I asked one of the two sisters why they were cut, they explained their dad had taken them out to practice and wasn’t happy that they couldn’t see past their own hedges. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could trim the hedges of other homeowners so you could safely see? I understand how nice the hedges look surrounding property, but if it makes it difficult for you and other road users to see if it’s clear to enter the intersection, maybe homeowners could do something to help their fellow drivers in their community, as the father of my former students did? Just a thought.

With the weather becoming increasingly warmer, we’re seeing more cyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders out and about. If you can’t see them because of high hedges or larger parked vehicles they most likely can’t see you either. If they aren’t drivers they won’t think like drivers. Most younger cyclists or pedestrians trust that drivers will look out for them and will also feel that they have the right of way at the corner. We’ve often heard people say pedestrians have the right of way. That’s not always true.

Right of way is something that is given, not taken. In other words, you never have it unless the other person gives it to you. The cyclist or pedestrian may feel the same way and just keep going as you decide to go as well, mainly because no one can really see each other or are even looking for each other. That’s not a good idea since as a driver you need to take the lead in road safety. This also means you need to ensure it always safe before entering the intersection. Does this sound too obvious? Maybe, but since pedestrians and cyclists are often struck at blind corners, then it’s not as obvious as we may think.

To help other drivers enter intersections safely you should also put some thought to where you park your vehicle. Poor visibility also comes from drivers parking too close to the corner. If you have a larger vehicle like a truck, SUV or minivan, it could block our view and force drivers to slowly creep into the intersection – provided drivers actually do creep to improve their visibility. To those drivers who just enter the intersection without ensuring their visibility first, they may be the type of drivers who are likely to crash into more than vehicles. If your visibility is poor, do something to help improve it. Work together and never assume it’s safe to enter unless you know it’s safe to enter.

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Like many drivers, I do like doing the proper thing, especially while driving near other vehicles. I also teach my students at Young Drivers of Canada to do the same things. It’s always a good idea to know why we’re doing certain things and not just because “I was told to”. I also believe in practicing what I preach. I had a chance to follow that mentality recently when an emergency vehicle was approaching my direction from behind with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Would you know what to do?

I had just pulled out of a gas station on the corner and as I was reaching the intersection the traffic light changed from green to amber so I stopped as I had plenty of time to do so. After I stopped I began hearing the sirens of an ambulance. I started looking around to find where they were coming from and realized they were from well behind me. As that happened, another driver pulled up to my left and stopped beside me in the left lane while I was sitting in the curb lane. Seconds later another vehicle went into the left turning lane and stopped beside the driver next to me. Now all three lanes were blocked for this ambulance to pass.

Since there was no one behind me I decided to quickly put the vehicle into reverse and back up approximately 6 car lengths so the ambulance would have room to drive between my vehicle and the vehicle stopped in the left lane. I took the opportunity since the ambulance was still a block and a half to two blocks away and no one was stopped behind me yet. It’s a tough enough job driving an emergency vehicle without having drivers on the road making their travels that much tougher. A friend of mine is a paramedic and we were just talking about these types of situations days before.

I had enough time to reverse, stop and put on my hazard lights before the ambulance reached me. As they got to me, the paramedic in the passenger seat used their speaker to say “Thank you, thank you, thank you”. That made my day. I think we know from time to time that we can make a difference, however large or small it can be. This was one of those times that someone showed their appreciation. Do I need that appreciation each time? No, but knowing it was appreciated will fuel me to continue to do the proper thing while driving.

Each time you’re driving, remember the little things you do can help those around you. Act quickly and confidently since hesitating will often mean you’ve lost that chance to help make a difference. It doesn’t have to be for an emergency vehicle. It could be for a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist or any another road user. Take those few seconds to help make our society in which we live in a co-operative driving culture. Who knows; it could become infectious with those around you.

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I recently wrote about teaching my son how to drive. It’s been a few weeks now so I thought I would give an update. First and foremost we haven’t tried to kill each other…yet. I still remind him of the first rule; if he doesn’t do what I say I’ll tell mom. So far that has worked quite well. Actually, he does listen quite well and I’m pleased at that. There’s a line between being his dad and being his driving instructor. So far neither of us has crossed the line. I think there’s mutual respect for the other person.

He’s finished his classroom time now and did very well. There was a lot of the material I knew he had already known from watching me drive and he was able to confirm this, so I made sure I asked other students about that material. I did go to him as often as I would for other questions and he did have wrong answers every now and then. That was pretty typical and I’m glad it actually happened as I didn’t want him to get over confident about driving before physically getting behind the wheel. He still has to prove he can physically handle the vehicle and not just mentally drive. He has to prove it to himself and not just me.

His time behind the wheel wasn’t like his time in class. To this point we’ve covered roughly half of the scheduled in-car time and he’s about where I would expect someone with limited driving time should be. He did tell me driving was harder than he thought. I was hoping he would say that. This was a way to ensure that he took driving seriously. Since it’s not coming as easily as he thought, he’s having to work a little harder than he expected and is slowly getting the results he wants but he also has to work on consistency as every new driver needs to do. As an experienced driver and driving instructor, I know that I can make driving look easy; but we all know it’s not always that easy.

There is a plus to teaching your own kids when you’re a professional driving instructor. Each time you practice with them it’s not just a parent going out to let them practice, it’s also having your driving instructor with you each time they sit behind the wheel. I’ve been able to give him tips and advice each time he drives; whether it’s a lesson or not. I think he realizes this advantage he has compared to other novice drivers and I’m sure he appreciates it. None of his friends get this advantage and I think he’ll get better, sooner rather than later. On the down side, he doesn’t get too much time to ‘just drive’ as he puts it.

The learning curve for me as his co-driver is quite evident. I’m now trying to avoid giving him suggestions and tips throughout the entire time when we’re just practising. He did say to his mom recently that I talk more than she does when she takes him driving. That’s mainly because you can’t erase 25 years of being an instructor overnight. And I also think his mom may be holding her breath at some times. However, that comment from him did make me think.

I’m trying to be a little quieter as he practises and only provide the tips, corrections and direction when it’s absolutely needed. It’s harder than I thought to just be a parent with a teen driving and I think it’s a good thing for me to learn. I’ve always understood how difficult it is for new drivers to grasp the skills necessary to drive smoothly and safely. I’m always patient with my son and that seems to help him. However, I’m still a driving instructor when he’s driving. It can be difficult to “turn it off” when I’m the parent and not the driving instructor. I may be able to turn off the verbal instructions however, mentally, it’s never turned off.