All the best in 2012

The countdown is on!

Have a safe and happy New Years Eve...

and all the best to you in 2012.

And please, please, please remember: Stay sober and STAY SAFE on the roads!

Turning Points: Why turning your car can cause a collision

When you're parked in a parking lot and you pass all the other cars on the way to your own, do you notice how many of them have scrapes, scratches, paint rubs, and dents on the corners of the bumpers? There's a good reason for that: Turning causes collisions.

I'm talking about regular turning in normal conditions – going forward or going backward while your wheels are pointed in a direction other than "straight".

While turning, drivers tend to forget where each of the four corners of their car is. It sounds strange but a lot of people have this same struggle.

Think of your car's four corners as being a triangular shape – the one point is the wheel, the second point is the corner of the car, and the third point is a space about a third of the way across the front or back of the car. That's the "danger zone" on your car which tends to swing wider than you might realize and also has a blindspot.

What adds an additional challenge to this is the relationship that these corners have: One corner will swing the widest around the outside of the turn while the opposite corner will swing the least around the inside of the turn. But all four corners will move!

It's one thing to know that this is how it works, but it's quite another thing to see it in action. If you want to be a better driver, take your car to an empty lot and try some of the following things:

• Create a corner and turn going forward. Stop two or three times in the turn and take note of where the four corners of your car is.
• Do the same thing going backward (it's harder to do because the wheels that steer you are at the "back" of your car when you're in reverse!). Train yourself to pay very close attention to the front right corner of your car if you are backing to the left, and pay very close attention to the front left corner of your car if you are backing to the right.
• Also, be aware of the blindspots. Lean a stick (use a broom or a garden rake) straight up against the bumper of your car. Then sit in your car and notice how close it is to your car.
• To further understand your blindspots, sit in your car and have someone else walk diagonally away from each corner of your car. As soon as you can see their feet, have them place a pylon on the ground. Then get out and walk around the car to see exactly how much space is in your corner blindspots!

Even with all of that practice, you might still end up in tight corners that scrape or dent your bumper. When that happens, bring your car to collision repair experts Boyd Autobody & Glass. We'll restore the look of your car and its safety (even a bumper dent can compromise your car's safety).

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season!

Happy holidays from Body Autobody & Glass!

Please drive safe and sober this holiday season!

13 Tips for driving in blizzards

A general rule of thumb is: If it's blizzarding out, don't drive.

Unfortunately, that's not always a possibility. I confess that there are many times in my life when I've driven somewhere in conditions that could only be described as "snow-laden mayhem". I've regretted the decision more than once.

Blizzard driving is horrible. Visibility is minimal and safety is minimal (not just because you can't see in front of you but because other people can't see in front of them). It seems like every year or two there's a news story about a huge pile-up of cars on a highway because of a blizzard.

If you HAVE to drive in a blizzard, here are some tips:

1. Don't drive. Do whatever you can to avoid it.
2. Call your destination before you leave and tell them when you're leaving and what route you're taking.
3. Before you leave, depending on how long your trip is, make sure you have survival gear (including a parka and some candles), a shovel, and a charged cell phone.
4. Check your fuel level. If you're on a long trip, top up your tank often. (I tell you this from experience).
5. Test the roads before you leave. If the roads are even slightly icy, it could be worse with a layer of dusty snow on top of it.
6. Turn off the radio. Focus. Put both hands on the wheel. Put the coffee down. Put the cell phone down.
7. If necessary, open the windows slightly or turn the heater from "recirculate" to "vent". That will keep your windows from fogging up when you need all the visibility you can get.
8. Don't stare into the blinding white snow. Look in front of your car and out over your hood. Chances are, you have better visibility lower to the ground because the car in front of you is kicking up snow from its wheels.
9. From time to time (and only when safe to do so), get out and check that your head lights, air intake grill, and rear lights are not obstructed by snow.
10. Maintain a steady rate of speed. Speeding up could cause a collision with the car in front. Slowing down could cause a collision with the car behind.
11. Your high beams will probably be ineffective. Keep them on low. Maybe even use your four-way flashers.
12. If you have to pull off the road, pull way, way, way off the road.
13. If you are stranded, make sure that you and your car are out of harm's way. If you can leave your car running to stay warm, make sure that there isn't any snow plugging up your exhaust pipe. If you hail down another car, make sure that they pull off the road before helping you. If you have to stay in your car overnight, light a candle for warmth but open the windows slightly to clear the smoke.

Blizzards are dangerous to drive in! If you get into a collision during a blizzard, stay safe. And when you can, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass for a quality collision repair… so the next time you have to drive through a blizzard, your car will be as safe as it can be!

The best part of a romantic comedy is the worst part of winter driving

In every romantic comedy set in the summertime, the girl is just about to leave on an airplane and the guy is somehow able to circumvent a million National Security regulations and run out onto the tarmac and win the girls' heart back.

Winter RomCom "Serendipity"

But in every romantic comedy set in the winter, the girl and boy meet in the evening on a beautifully plowed street (and perfectly shoveled sidewalk) and there's always a good, steady snowfall of those thick flakes.

Either the girl or the boy will, at some point, stick out their tongue to catch a snowflake. Every romantic comedy set in the winter is like this. You know the snowfall I'm talking about, right? It's the really good kind of snowfall – the one rare time when you actually like winter and want to invite everyone over for hot chocolate and carols.

Well, the best part of romantic comedies is the worst part of winter driving. Have you ever driven down a dark highway when it's snowing like that? It's horrible. Hey, I've been driving long enough to know how to drive in blizzards, how to dig my car out of the deepest of ditches, how to navigate some black ice like I'm in an Olympic slalom… but the worst part of winter driving is a night of steady thick snow.

It's the kind of snowfall that seems to come down nice and heavy when you're standing still but when you're driving, the snow streaks toward you like you've just taken the Millennium Falcon into warp speed. (Uhh… my editor is a nerd and pointed out that I just mixed up my sci-fi references there).

It's nice for about 5 minutes as you pretend to be Han Solo rescuing what's-her-face from the dude in the mask. (My editor is now shaking his fist at me). But then something happens. That nice, fluffy, romantic-comedy-meets-the-Millenium-Falcon snow starts to mesmerize you. It starts to hypnotize you.

Within a few minutes of driving like this, you're cross-eyed as if you are trying to see a 3D tiger in a Magic Eye picture. You're magically lulled into a weird zombie-like mental state where you can't look anywhere else but straight at those streaking star-like snowflakes. Your mind is numb. Your body is frozen.

Obviously, it's horribly dangerous. And weird. But mostly dangerous. For a brief moment, you really are lulled into some kind of Twilight Zone and, unfortunately, just about anything could happen and you wouldn't notice until too late: Deer, car, sleigh ride of merry-making snowmen, Santa, whatever. Too much of that mesmerizing snow and suddenly WHAM! (No, not the band from the 1980's – I'm making a graphic onomatopoeic reference to a collision).

It's too bad we can't use that hypnosis in our favor. Perhaps when you're driving in that kind of weather, you can convince yourself to quit smoking or lose weight or cluck like a chicken. (I'm sure people go to hypnotists for other things, but those are the 3 things I've gone to a hypnotist for).

On second thought, maybe it's not such a good idea. Maybe if that kind of snow starts falling, it's best just to stay off the road. After all, there's a good chance that a bunch of lovebirds are out catching snowflakes on their tongues.

If you don't have choice and you DO happen to go out into that hypnotizing snow, if you do happen to crash into a snowman or Wham (now I am referring to the band) or to anything else, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass for a quick safe repair to get you back out onto the road this winter season.

Six skills you need when driving

It's unfortunate that most of us learn to drive when we are young and don't need to recertify throughout our lives. It might actually help to diminish some of the collisions on our roads today.

If you are a driver who wants to drive safer, here are six skills that you should work on improving:

1. Use your full field of vision: Look all around you (including blindspots) and sweep your eyes around your field of vision frequently to take everything in. Also, pay attention to your peripheral vision (most people don't) and make sure that what goes on in your periphery registers in your mind.
2. Speed of response: Good driving is all about responding to what is going on around you. The faster you respond, the better. Unfortunately, most of us get complacent as we drive (a combination of fatigue, age, and habit) but we can push through and speed up our response.
3. Learn to make quick decisions: A fast response (above) is only as good as your ability to respond in the right way. Work to improve your decision-making speed. You can do this by following the next step.
4. Know all of your options: Driving in your current lane at the current speed and assuming that no one else wants to occupy the same physical space as you is dangerous! You have several lanes to choose from, you have several speeds to choose from, and there are plenty of other drivers on the road who are not as skilled at driving as you are. Smart drivers know that they have several options at all times.
5. Anticipate: Try to figure out what other drivers are likely to do. Is there an intersection ahead? The car you're following could turn left, turn right, drive straight through, or brake. All of those options will change how you have to drive. That is anticipation.
6. Courtesy: Courtesy is a skill that needs to be honed. After years of driving and seeing the nonsense that goes on around us, it's easy for us to become less courteous. However, a courteous driver gives people plenty of space, doesn't provoke other people, and doesn't respond when provoked.

Driving with these six skills will make you a safer driver, they'll help to make your travels more enjoyable, and if we all work at improving these six skills in ourselves, our roads will be that much safer.

Unfortunately, you might come in contact with a driver who has missed out on some of these six skills. When that happens, your car pays the price. If you are in a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass for fast, safe repairs to get you back on the road. The six skills are things you'll have to work on yourself but we can help to make sure the car you're driving is the best it can be.

The most annoying part of winter driving

If you were to have people to make a list of all the different aspects of winter driving that they hate, you'd get stuff like "it's cold", "it's hard to steer", "the car won't start", "I have to shovel my driveway to get to work". Pretty standard stuff. No surprises there. Part of what makes us Canadian is our shared dislike of the coldest 6 months of our seasonal year.

Everyone has something they hate about winter driving. Want to know the thing I hate most?

It has nothing to do those things listed above (although they can be troublesome, I'll admit it). What I hate most about winter driving is something I call "The Tank Syndrome".

Here's what happens: You (yes, YOU) get up in the morning and it's cold and you don't want to go to work. And when you get out to your car, you notice that there is snow and ice all over it. Instead of taking the three minutes to brush off all of the snow and then using the ice scraper to completely clear all the windows, you create a wee little opening to see out of.

This little opening is probably the size of a postage stamp or, if you're really diligent, maybe it's the size of a business-card. It's small enough to make old-time pinhole camera manufacturers jealous. For those who are really conscientious, they can boast about creating a panorama with their postcard-sized hole.

I call it "The Tank Syndrome" because it reminds me of military tanks – the car is armoured in show and ice and there is a small slit in the front window that the driver can see out of but the enemy can't shoot inside. You feel invulnerable in that kind of rolling cage of safety.

How does this happen? During the summer, the windows are down (or better yet, the convertible roof is retracted), and you have full range of vision and can drive safely. That makes sense.

But during the winter our minds somehow change and we decide that the weather is bad so we don't want to see any of it. Somehow, the short days and bitter temperatures confuse us into thinking that we shouldn't have a clear field of vision to drive through ice and to swerve around snow banks and to battle through blizzards. We somehow think that our cars – armoured in snow and ice – will protect us from the worst weather and we minimize our field of vision to the narrowest possible amount.

By the end of winter, the ice and snow on our cars have built up so much that only a team of archaeologists could chip down to the original surface of our car.

Please! Take a few minutes and chip off the ice and snow. Ignore your desire to drive around in a tank and do battle with the snow.

And, if you get hit by a moving ice-tank, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass and we'll restore the REAL safety features of your car so you can get back out there and face the elements.

Five lessons that poker can teach us about driving safely

Poker is a fun game! There is a small amount of luck, a surprising amount of skill, and you can win a lot and lose a lot on every hand. In this article, we'll look at five truths about the game of poker that can help you be a better driver.

1. Read your opponents: Good poker playing is all about understanding who your opponents are and what their "tells" suggest about the cards they have. Sometimes your fellow drivers do a good job of telling you what they are doing (with signals or appropriate braking) and sometimes they don't. Watch the other drivers around you and try to figure out what they are planning on doing before they do it!
2. Think ahead: Good poker playing means thinking ahead – calculating the odds that the card you want is going to turn up and figuring out what other cards are likely to have been played on the table. As a driver, you should think ahead before every trip so you can make sure you take the best route.
3. Never bet on a short straight: This is a common problem in poker. Between the cards in your hands and the ones revealed in the flop, you end up with 4 cards of a 5-card straight. So you stay in. Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against you and you'll frequently lose the hand. Good drivers make sure that their cars are mechanically sound – the brakes work, the lights work, the car is as safe as it can be – so that the car will be responsive if you need to drive defensively.
4. There is no room for cheats: Poker has its rules and players who break those rules aren't likely going to be invited back for more gameplay. In driving, the consequences of cheating (i.e. skirting the law) are harsher and can include financial punishment or even the revocation of a drivers license.
5. Know when to hold' em, know when to fold 'em: In poker, good players get out when they should get out (instead of staying in and playing a particular pot through to the end). Likewise, in driving, some drivers choose to drive even though they shouldn't. Fatigue and inebriation are frequently the cause of collisions because they impair our ability to drive safely. Smart drivers recognize when they should and shouldn't drive.

Poker can be a fun game for those who know how to play and who sit at a table of other players who are serious about a good game. Likewise, driving can be an enjoyable experience when everyone is following the same set of rules and intent on getting where they need to go safely.

If you're driving your car and you collide with someone who should not have been playing the game, bring your car in to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We'll fix up your car and get you back on the road so you can play a strong hand and get where you need to go.

Basics for Babies campaign was a success!

Babies deserve every chance they can get to grow up with the right food and clothes, but not all families have the means to provide their children with those essentials...

So the Basics for Babies campaign (which is put on by the Greater Vancouver food bank) is a really exciting opportunity for Boyd Autobody & Glass to get involved and make an impact in the community.

The Greater Vancouver locations of Boyd Autobody & Glass collected donations from staff and vendor partners. 

Thanks to the effort of Boyd staff and our vendor partners, Basics For Babies received 29 boxes of baby related items plus cash/cheque donations. In total, the combined food and money donations exceeded $5,000.00.

Special thanks to our vendor partners who participated!

• Performance Radiator 
• Marrand Auto
• Hemrich Bros. Garage
• Granville & Avery
• Carter GM
• Metro Motors
• Pro Body Parts
• Auto Tech Air Conditioning
• Lordco Auto Parts
• Caruk & Associates
• Anvil Auto Glass
• Autohouse Technologies
• APT
• QRP
• Wolfe Langley Mazda
• Jonker Nissan
• Maple Ridge Chrysler
• Vancouver Auto Colour
• Kent Automotive

Reduce the chance of automobile vandalism

Aside from your house, your car is probably one of the biggest purchases you make; therefore, it's important to keep it in good shape. It's frustrating to walk out of the shopping mall only to find that someone has vandalized your car – by painting it or keying it.

Here are some ways to help you reduce the chance of automobile vandalism

• If possible, park in a closed, locked garage.
• Lock your car and use a club and/or an immobilizer. (This will help to eliminate vandals who are looking for a quick payday from the cash in your ash tray.
• Be discerning about where you park your car – An area that has a lot of graffiti might mean that your car is a blank canvas waiting to be tagged.
• Understand that there are different kinds of vandals out there: There are vindictive vandals who will key your car because you parked too close to theirs or because your car is nicer than theirs, and there are thrill-seeking vandals who just vandalize things for some laughs. You need to keep both types of vandals in mind when parking your car.
• Choose parking lots that are monitored by CCTV or security. Even if these cost a little more, the few dollars of parking fee will more than cover for the peace of mind that you'll have (compared to the cost and inconvenience of having to get your vandalized car repaired).
• Park as close to a source of light as possible. A street light, for example, will help to keep your car illuminated and can deter vandals who are looking for some quick laughs.
• Park close to where other people are walking around. Vandals are less likely to act when they could be spotted by others.
• In a shopping mall parking lot, don't park too close to the store or too far away. If you part half-way to three-quarters of the way from the store, you'll hit the "sweet spot" of the parking lot: Close enough to other people so you reduce the thrill-seekers; far enough from other people so you reduce the vindictive vandals.
• Avoid controversial bumper stickers that could invite a response – such as political or religious bumper stickers that could be viewed negatively by others.
• Repair vandalism as quickly as possible (even if it doesn't appear to impact the integrity of your car's body) because some vandalism can attract other vandalism.

If your car is vandalized, assess the damage as soon as possible. A car that has been spray painted doesn't look good but can still be driven for a while. A car that has been keyed might have to be looked at by an autobody shop sooner because the paint could be scratched off, exposing the metal and risking a foothold for rust.

If your car is vandalized, bring it to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We can take a look at the damage and help you understand what needs to be fixed right away and what can wait (if you choose to wait). A quick visit to Boyd as soon as the vandalism happens can help you to restore the value of your vehicle and protect it from rust

5 ways to master the dreaded snow bank

One of the very first times I drove into a snow bank, I was by myself in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. It was not good. It was too cold to walk anywhere and I didn't have the kind of emergency survival equipment that one might need to stay alive in a situation like this. It was a "dig out or else" situation… and not something I ever want to repeat. (And since I'm writing this, you can probably figure out that I survived).

I did some pretty crazy things to get out of that snow bank (including leaving the car in drive while I ran out behind it to push (NOT ADVISABLE). Fortunately, that stupid solution didn't work. I was stuck solidly. I didn't get out until someone else happened to be driving down the same remote road some time later that night. We used a snow shovel, some car mats, an old coat, and a heck of a lot of muscle-power to unstick my car.

Since then, I don't travel without a few things in my car that will solve the problem. Depending on where I'm going and how bad the weather is supposed to be, I travel with some combination of the following items, and you should consider including some of these things in your car, too:

1. Snow shovel. I like using a plastic shovel that is lightweight and doesn't take up a lot of room in the trunk. It does the job in a pinch and doesn't cost a lot. (Also, the plastic ones won't puncture the rubber if you're digging around your tire).
2. Cat litter or salt. This is good to get traction on ice… especially if you've spun your tires a lot and turned the snow into ice!
3. Towel. I was surprised at how well this worked: It was enough traction to get out of snow.
4. Wooden boards. I've used these with some success in the past. They're good for those occasions when you are on some deep snow and have a little bit of distance to traverse before you get out. Just be careful that you don't stand directly behind them when driving because they can shoot out from under the car!
5. Tow rope. Tow ropes are great if you have another vehicle to help you get out.

Once your car is out of the snow, walk around it to make sure that there isn't a big build-up of snow around the tires or in the exhaust pipe or engine compartment. Snow in these areas can degrade the operation of your vehicle and can even be very unsafe to drive!

Also, walk around your car and check for damage. The snow, ice, or something hidden by the snow can damage your car. Check under your car, the body of your car, and keep an eye on your wheel alignment.

If your car's body is damaged, bring it to Boyd Autobody & Glass right away. We'll restore it quickly and professionally to help keep rust out of the damaged area and to return the car to its safest condition.

4 great mobile tools for drivers

When an earthquake struck the east coast of the US, recently, people were receiving tweets about it and then feeling the earthquake's shockwaves moments later. What a world we live in where news can travel that quickly. And while it's true that some news ends up being fake (Justin Timberlake is still alive and the Balloon Boy never was in the balloon) technology can be harnessed positively to make our lives better. Drivers have great tools available to them to help them arrive at their destinations on time and safely.

In this article, I’m going to give you a few tools you can use to help you drive better:

Twitter: Twitter is a great tool that provides real time information. Sometimes it's not so helpful (I don't care what kind of sandwich you're eating) but sometimes it can be helpful. Use Twitter's search function (http://search.twitter.com) to help you plan your route. Search for the name of your city or town plus the word "traffic". For example, search "Vancouver Traffic" or the hashtag #vancouvertraffic if you live in Vancouver. (Of course, substitute your own city or town). This can alert you in real time to accidents, construction, lane closures, and more, without having to wait for the traffic report on the radio.

Apps to read your emails: If you can't wait until you get home to read your emails, tweets, Facebook statuses, and whatnot, many mobile devices have apps that will read these for you while you drive. It's much easier and safer to have them read to you than to read them yourself (and, in some jurisdictions, it's illegal to use your phone while driving). Each mobile device is different so I'm not naming any specific apps here, but if you search your app store on your mobile device, you should find an app that can read your emails for you.

Waze: Here's an interesting app that has some interesting potential. It's called "social GPS" and it provides turn-by-turn GPS functionality for your iPhone or Android device. So, how is it different than regular GPS? As a "social GPS", it builds off of information from other users so it can respond in real time to road conditions. If only a few people use it, it's frankly not going to be that helpful (because there is less input for the "real time" component). But if many people use it, every additional piece of information can help it to become a useful tool to everyone.

Car Accident Report: There's an app for everything, and it turns out that there's a app for when you are in a collision. With Car Accident Report (C.A.R., available on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/c.a.r.-car-accident-report/id320377277?mt=8) you get an iPhone tool that can record a whole bunch of really helpful information when you get into a collision. It will pull in GPS information and Google Maps to help you report what happened, and there is a place to collect driver and witness information.

There isn't an app yet for when you need a repair after a collision, but when you bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass, we can repair it for you quickly and easily to get you back on the road.

Easy ways to eliminate road rage

It doesn't seem that long ago when you would hear a news story about someone who "lost it" during rush hour and picked a fight with the driver in front of them. But today, news stories about road rage are becoming increasingly common. We're not as shocked by them, and we chalk it up to "road rage" (now that we have a name for it).

But road rage is completely avoidable. If you tend to fly off the handle while driving (and if you don't want to) then here are some easy ways to eliminate road rage.

First, plan ahead: Before jumping in the car to go somewhere, take a moment to plan your route. Consider taking a slightly longer route that has no stop lights. Chances are, it will take about the same amount of time but it will feel faster… and less frustrating.

Second, do a bit of research: It's not as boring as it sounds. Instead, check a couple of websites for road conditions, construction, and traffic jams. For example, many cities will post information about road construction sites so check them first. Also, search on Twitter (http://search.twitter.com) for local traffic. If you live in Winnipeg, for example, you can search #winnipegtraffic to find out up-to-the-minute traffic conditions.

Third, mitigate your frustration triggers. Do you find bad drivers annoying? Do you hate stop-and-go traffic? Do you get frustrated by not having enough room while you drive? Figure out what frustrates you and make changes accordingly. For example, travel when there are fewer cars on the road or take routes that have fewer stop lights.

Fourth, leave early. Road rage can stem from a combination of factors – frustration at other drivers and stress from work – but it can also be caused by a feeling of being late. You can easily eliminate that by adding a few extra minutes to every trip.

No one is saying that you have to start driving like a sightseeing, Sunday-driving slowpoke. And these four tips won't completely eliminate the frustration you feel when you drive. But if you want to remain a little more patient and calm while driving, these four tips can help.

In spite of your best efforts, sometimes a collision can still happen. When it does happen, remain calm – although you might feel that your frustration has peaked, this is when it is most important to remain calm… for everyone's safety and to help the police and the insurance companies sort out the situation.

When a collision does occur, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass for a high quality repair to put your car back into great shape. We'll make sure your car looks great, drives well, and keeps your family safe while on the road.