The monster under the seat

I used to think a monster lived under the bed. Fortunately, my wife assured me that it lives in the closet and not under the bed so I should be okay. (She also suggests that, given the rarity I venture into the laundry room, I seem to think a monster lives in the washing machine).

I know that a monster doesn't live under the bed. And I'm pretty sure that one doesn't live in the washing machine (although if it does, that would explain why I never seem to have matching socks). But I think there is something living under the seat in my car.

Consider the evidence: Pens, coins, gas receipts, sunglasses, CDs, and the occasional cell phone charger constantly disappear in my car. I believe half of a Subway sub also vanished earlier this summer, too. While investigating, I found all of this stuff (minus the sub, thankfully) under the driver's seat. The only conclusion is that whatever lives under the car seat is using all of those things to build a nest.

It's like the Loch Ness monster – you never see the monster but you can't miss the loch.

Since I'm convinced that something lives under there, I'm forced to wonder: What does it do in the car when I'm driving? Like my cat, does it just perch there believing that it owns the world? Or, like my dog, does its tongue hang out whenever we drive? Or, like the Chihuahua in the back window, does its head bob up and down over every bump?

And what about when I'm not there? Does it run around inside the car? Does it play inside my car like my kid plays in his bedroom when he's supposed to be napping? That maybe explains why I always have to move the seat back and turn the radio down whenever I get into the car. (I've tried blaming my wife for this one but it hasn't stopped, so it can't be her).

I also have to wonder: What does it do for food? That sub is still missing but you can't live on Subway forever (but don't tell my college-aged nephew that). Does its long tongue sneak up to my coffee mug and take a sip while I'm not paying attention? That's possible. It explains why there's always a small puddle of coffee at the bottom of the cup holder. Does a tentacle reach for the container of Cheerios that we give our kid to snack on while driving? That's possible too because we find those little round "O's" basically everywhere.

I'm not sure what to do about this thing. I left my car window open overnight once, hoping that the thing would run away… but it rained like crazy and there was a puddle on the floor on the inside of the car the next morning. (I desperately hope it was a puddle of water).

My biggest concern is for the safety of my family. I don't want this thing running out from under the seat while I'm driving and causing an accident. Try explaining THAT ONE to the insurance company. If I do get into a collision (for whatever reason – whether or not it's monster-related) I'm bringing my car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. Although they don't have professionals on staff to handle monster-removal, they can fix up my car and get me back on the road safely. But the monster I'll have to contend with myself.

I'm thinking of suggesting to my wife that we upgrade our vehicle – from a family-friendly sedan to something a little sportier, only because the seats will be lower to the floor and therefore there won't be enough room for this under-seat-dweller to nest.

The 4 personalities you meet on the road

When driving, it's so easy to forget about the other drivers out there and just to focus on what our car is doing and where we need to go. But we share the road with many other people who are all hurtling down the asphalt in glass-and-steel contraptions at dangerously high speeds.

If you want to be a safer driver, be aware of the 4 kinds of personalities on the road. Chances are, you'll recognize yourself as one of these personalities and – more importantly – you'll spot these personalities among other drivers. Knowing how you and everyone else reacts can help you predict and avoid collisions.

The timid driver: The timid driver is the one who drives slower than the speed limit and sometimes brakes without warning on what appears to be a clear road. They can slow sooner than most on an approach to intersections and they are likely very slow to start off again when the light turns green. They appear to be easily startled by driving conditions.

How to drive around these drivers: Give them lots of space if you're driving behind them because they might brake suddenly. Don't get aggressive. Their style might annoy you but it will make them more timid and unpredictable. Just pass them and keep driving.

The aggressor: The aggressor pushes the speed limit, edges into traffic with very little space, and shouts at other drivers even if no one can hear them. The aggressor drives their car pretty hard and they don't have a lot of patience for slow drivers or unpredictable ones.

How to drive around these drivers: Be predictable. Give them plenty of space. Don't be intimidated if they drive by you while shaking their fist.

The distracted driver: The distracted driver might be the parent with 3 kids in their minivan or they might be the business person with a cell phone. Regardless of the distraction, the result is the same – an activity that requires 100% focus (driving) only gets about 50% focus (or less) because there is something else that is pulling their focus away. These drivers can be unintentionally unpredictable and, as a result, might not speed but might brake or turn suddenly.

How to drive around these drivers: Steer clear of them. Their unpredictability is very dangerous. Don't bother trying to alert them to their lack of focus; they won't notice you anyway.

The show-off: This driver might seem like an aggressor but they have a louder car and something to prove. Therefore, they are easy to provoke and don't want to be shown up on the road. Passing seems to them to be an invitation to race. Stop lights are just a countdown to a fast take-off.

How to drive around these drivers: You're probably better off behind them (and you won't be close behind them for long because they're sure to speed off). Don't get drawn into foolish driving with them and don't provoke them to show off.

Being aware of these personalities and driving carefully around them won't solve every collision but it will help to reduce the likelihood of collisions that are caused by "personality conflict" on the road.

If you do get into a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We'll work quickly to get your car safely restored and back out on the road.

Spring driving tips

It's that time of year again! It's a weird time that people call Spring – but it's really a time when the nights are cold and the days are warm and we can wear short-sleeved shirts even though there's snow on the ground.

Each Canadian season has its own unique driving challenges and springtime is no different. Here are some tips to help you drive more safely during the spring:

• Remember that even though the air temperature might be nice, the ground is still cold and possibly frozen. So you might be able to wear your t-shirt but your car might still slip on the ice.
• Potholes, which multiplied over the winter, are now much more dangerous than ever because they are not packed with frozen ice and snow. You might see them or you they might contain water but are hidden by a crust of ice. Be careful when driving and watch the cars in front of you to see if they hit potholes. Steer around potholes, especially because you don't know how deep they are.
• Now that the weather is nice, people are getting outside again. But being inside all winter has made them forget that they have to share the road with you. Watch for pedestrians who are oblivious to your car; in particular, pay close attention to kids who are eager to run around now that they are unencumbered by snow boots.
• The weather is fickle and can turn cold and snowy in a heartbeat. Be prepared with a coat and a hat and gloves and an ice scraper and low-temperature washer fluid. And don't forget that rain can turn to ice by dropping only a few degrees.
• Springtime snow melt turns gutters into rivers and those rivers can overflow onto streets. If a street has turned into a river, take another route. Avoid splashing through big puddles because you don't want to get water into your engine, you don't want to lose control by hydroplaning (and you don't want to splash nearby pedestrians, either). And, pooled water can hide other dangers (like potholes, washouts, and other hazards).
• Wash your car to clean any salt off of it. Salt may have been good to melt the ice but it can accelerate the rust on your car.
• As the spring weather continues and you move closer to summer, you can change your winter tires to summer tires, you can remove the shovel and cold-winter gear from your trunk, and you can replace your winter emergency kit with your summer emergency kit. Just don't do it too early!

Enjoy the weather because we don't get very long summers here in Canada! Look forward to it, get out into the great outdoors, and stay active all summer.

If you get into a collision while navigating our springtime roads, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. Our collision repair team will get your car fixed up and back on the road in no time!

How driving is like American Gladiators

Have you ever seen the show American Gladiators? It appears to be a competition using the most bizarre tools/weaponry/scenarios imaginable. No one would ever swing back and forth on a giant swing trying to knock their opponent off of another giant swing using a giant Q-Tip. But that's what American Gladiators looks like to me.

That's how I imagine driving would appear to someone if they were magically transported from pre-automobile times to today.

Let's take someone from… oh… Roman times. (That was totally arbitrary. Insert your favorite century here). They somehow magically appear in our driveway just as we're going to work. So we think that someone wearing a toga would be a hilarious addition to the going-away luncheon we have planned for Suzie who happens to be moving from Accounts Payable into the Shipping department. So we convince Claudius Maximus (or whatever his name is) to get into our car.

What is going through is mind right now? (And don't say "Latin" because that's the smart aleck answer). So IF we could translate our Roman friend's Latin thoughts, we would probably get the same reaction as if we suddenly found ourselves on the set of American Gladiators.

That's because driving may seem natural to us but there's really nothing natural about it. We are getting into a giant steel and glass cage and we hurtle down a road at speeds that would cause us great discomfort if it weren't for the windshield in front of us.

Poor Claudius might wet his toga as he watches the scenery race by. He might fear the noise of the engine (and maybe he'll even be baffled at what magic you possess to drive a chariot without a horse). He might fear the closeness of other cars to the one you're in, since everything is going faster than he's used to.

I don't think that chariots or wagons can even compare to cars… and it has nothing to do with the construction and technology. Rather, I believe it has to do with the removal of our experience with the elements. If we ended up in Claudius Maximus' chariot (there's a Disney movie waiting to be made), we would find ourselves dusty when it was dry, wet when it was raining, and maybe a mouth full of bugs if we kept it open while Claudius was driving. But car owners are protected from those environmental impacts and this gives a weird illusion of safety when really, we are hurtling down the road in an American-Gladiator-style steel and glass cage.

So driving is a weird experience when we look at it from an unfamiliar viewpoint: We feel somewhat safe in a giant steel and glass cage, and that illusion is further enhanced because we are completely protected from the environment. But from the outsider's perspective, we are racing around in giant steel cages… and that sounds dangerous.

If your steel chariot collided with another in the Coliseum of life, bring it to Boyd Autobody & Glass and we'll get it fixed up right away. (Note: We do not repair horses).

Does age make a different in driving safety?

Statistics and experts tend to point fingers at young drivers or at elderly drivers as being the unsafest drivers on the roads. At Boyd Autobody & Glass, we don't entirely agree. While the statistics do show that more collisions might occur in one age group over another, we think all age groups have equal (but different) dangers in their driving, and everyone would do well to read this article and consider what personal dangers you bring to the road:

Let's start with the two demographics that the safe driving experts are eager to point to. They certainly do have some unsafe driving factors:

Young drivers lack experience to handle the ever-changing conditions of the road. In addition, many (but certainly not all) young drivers tend to consider themselves "invincible". Peer pressure and thrill-seeking might also play a factor in their unsafe driving choices.

Elderly drivers lack the quick reaction time necessary to drive on today's busy roads. As well, elderly drivers can be overly-cautious and may operate comfortably at a different speed than other drivers. In some situations (but not all), there might also be health concerns (including loss of hearing and eyesight), which could play a factor.

Although those two demographics are often pointed to as being the unsafest, we believe that there are many other drivers in other demographics that can pose an equal threat to other drivers on the road. Here are some examples:

Parents of young children can be very unsafe because they're busy dealing with their children. How often do you see parents picking up dropped toys, passing food and drinks, breaking up conflict, or periodically just checking on them in the rearview mirror?

Adults of any age can also be unsafe, particularly in the morning or afternoon rush hours. There are more cars on the road and there are often more things on driver's minds! In the morning: Getting the kids to school and daycare while trying not to be late for work. In the evening: Picking the kids up, while thinking about supper and the evening's activities. Don't forget to factor in stress and fatigue to these two scenarios!

College students, truckers, and families on vacation can all be unsafe drivers as well – often because of distance traveled, stress, lack of focus, or experience.

To be clear – we're NOT saying that if you are in these demographics, you are guilty of these issues. However, we're pointing out that every group of drivers – regardless of why you are on the road – share some common issues that could make them unsafe drivers. Be aware of the factors that might make you an unsafe driver.

And don't forget: If you get into a collision, bring your car in to Boyd Autobody. We'll get you back on the road quickly and safely.

The 5 factors of safe driving

Collisions don't "just happen". Likewise, safe driving doesn't "just happen". Safe driving is a conscious decision and is the result of five factors. If you master these five factors as much as possible, you will be the safest driver you possibly can be.

The five factors of safe driving are:

Experience: Driving is all about adjusting to the always-changing, unpredictable nature of the road. So, safe drivers are drivers who have some experience in handling the variety of unusual situations that can occur when driving. (That's not to suggest that inexperienced drivers aren't safe; but experience does introduce an extra degree of safety).

Focus: Driving provides a steady stream of input for the driver. So, safe drivers are drivers who can focus on the task of driving and can ignore irrelevant distractions.

Equipment: Driving requires a car that performs as expected to help you get from point A to point B. So, safe drivers are drivers who operate cars that work.

Environment: Driving doesn't happen in a vacuum; it takes place in an environment (on a specific road, in specific weather, at a specific time of day, etc.). So, safe drivers are those who can correctly interpret the appropriate driving style needed and can adjust their driving to it.

Discipline: Driving is a complicated process of control and speed. So, safe drivers are those who have the discipline to adjust their driving according to the changing conditions, and who operate their vehicle legally.

How would you rate your skills in these five areas?

• Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of how well you manage each of these five factors.
• Now here's the more challenging rating: Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of how much you actually perform safely. (Lots of people will give themselves high scores in discipline, for example, but may not actually follow through).

Next, think about how you can improve each of these 5 areas.

• Experience: Improving experience is just a matter of more time behind the wheel. If you don't drive as often as a spouse, offer to drive instead. You may not love driving but the experience will help you become a safer driver.
• Focus: Turn down the radio; turn off your cellphone; and set-and-forget the climate controls; put down your coffee; put down your sandwich; ask the kids to be quiet.
• Equipment: When was the last time you had your car in for a tune-up and inspection? If it's been a while, remember that each passing day, your deteriorating car contributes a little more to unsafe driving.
• Environment: Learn to drive in bad weather; and more importantly, learn when not to drive!
• Discipline: Review your driving habits (especially your bad habits) and try to drive with a little more care.

Following these five factors won't completely eliminate collisions, but they will dramatically reduce the ones that are caused by you (and they can prepare you more effectively for collisions caused by others).

If you do get into a collision, your friendly neighborhood Boyd Autobody & Glass is there to help! Bring your car in for a fast, high-quality, professional collision repair.

Safe driving starts BEFORE you get behind the wheel

Recently, I was with some friends at a go-kart track. After a few races, our heart rates were up, our arms were shaking from controlling the go-karts, and we were dizzy from the exhaust fumes. Then we got into our cars and returned home. The ride home was weird! The car performed differently than the go-kart, and our steering, accelerating and braking were not at the level of safety that they normally were. We got home safely but reflected that our driving was not very safe.

Everyone who drives needs to make the choice to drive safely and that choice happens long before you get into the driver's seat. It happens when drivers decide that a particular activity will make them temporarily unfit to drive.

Drinking alcohol is the first and most obvious activity that can impair driving. The choice not to drink alcohol if you are going to drive is a smart, safe decision. But it gets harder when you consider some of the other driver-impairing activities or situations that aren't regulated by law and which people often do (or face) before driving:

• Go-karting is a good example. From now on, we're going to wait a few minutes after go-karting to get into the car.
• Fatigue is a serious problem that can impair driver skill.
• Conflict with family or at work can create stress that impairs driving.
• Some safe driving experts are suggesting that action movies or video games could impair driving skills by adjusting a driver's perception of control and excitement.

There are other factors that can impair your driving as well but these are good examples of some of the problems.

So what can you do about it? Since safe driving is a decision, you need to decide beforehand whether or not the activity you are about to engage in is going to impair your driving.

Then, prior to driving, you need to decide if you are ready to get behind the wheel. Are you able to focus, think, react, and control the car appropriately? If you are not ready to get behind the wheel, take a break for a while and address the impairing situation. If you're fatigued, take a nap. If you're stressed out, find a way to burn it off. If you're amped up from an action movie or high-energy activity, take some time to calm down.

Safe driving is a decision, and it's not a decision we make once we're sitting behind the wheel of the car and the keys are in the ignition. Instead, it's a decision we need to make before we drive – in fact, it's a decision we always need to keep in mind. Safe driving is always worth thinking about, even when we're not behind the wheel.

If your car is in a collision, Boyd Autobody & Glass is here to help. Our expert technicians can quickly and safely repair your car and get you back on your way.

What you can learn about safe driving from your financial advisor

If you ask a financial expert about how someone should invest in the stock market, you'll inevitably discuss the reality of risk. There are all kinds of risks that exist in the stock market. They include risks that inflation will eat away at your cash, or risks that the monetary policies of the government might take away some of your profit. There are all kinds of risks and financial experts suggest that these risks can be managed with careful investing.

This is NOT an article about risk-managed investing. However, we believe that the same idea exists in driving. Just like the stock market, there are risks on the road. There's a risk that you might doze off at the wheel or that the person in the car behind you will forget to stop or that a dog will run out onto the road in front of you. There are so many risks in driving.

And, while your financial advisor might have some clever ways to avoid risk in the stock market, there are techniques you can use to avoid risk and be a safer driver.

The first thing you need to do is determine what risks are possible. If you're driving at night, there's the risk that you won't see what's in front of you. If you're driving during school hours, there's the risk that children will be crossing the road. If you're driving around other traffic, there's the risk that those other drivers will not be able to control their vehicle. Risks are always changing, depending on where and when you're driving, so be aware and always consider what risks are present at any given moment.

Now that you know what risks there, consider how you can minimize them. Sometimes it might mean giving the cars around you a lot more space. Or perhaps it means taking a different route around a busy school zone. Or maybe it means slowing down slightly to give yourself more time to react. Each of these risk-management solutions is a "tool" in your safe driving tool belt.

There are many risks on the road and they call contribute to making driving a sometimes dangerous task. But here's the good news: You have a lot of risk-management tools in you safe-driving tool belt (more tools than you think you have) and you have enough control that you can eliminate a lot of the risk! With experience and some intentional thinking about risks, you can actually increase the number of tools you have.

Collisions are not completely avoidable but if you approach risk in the same way that our financial advisor approaches risk in the stock market, you'll dramatically reduce the risk of collision.

If you do get into a collision, there might be a Boyd Autobody & Glass conveniently located in your community. Bring your car in and we'll fix it up and have you safely back on the road again.

March's Safe Driving Skill: Watch Your Blindspots

Transport Canada reports that over 124,000 collisions injure or kill people each year (according to 2009 statistics, the last numbers we have available). That number is too high, especially since so many collisions can be easily avoided.
So in 2012, we are encouraging better driving by highlighting one safe driving skill each month and giving drivers tips and ideas to improve that skill.

In this article, we'll talk about improving your sale driving skill of watching your blindspots.

Blindspots are the large sections surrounding your car that you can't see. Your car has several blindspots – perhaps more than you realize.

• The most common blindspots extend out behind your car in a triangle on each side of your car – two areas that you can't see with your rearview mirrors.
• Less common (but no less dangerous) blindspots are a small section in front of your car and around the front panels of your car. Your front bumper "hides" in this blindspot and although it's not very big, it can still result in small collisions, especially in parking lots.

So, how do you watch your blindspots?

For your front blindspots, be aware of where your bumpers are and how close you can get to something. (You can easily test this by leaning a rake up against the front passenger corner of your bumper and sitting in your car to see the distance). Since these collisions are usually slow-moving "rubs" that occur in parking lots, give yourself plenty of room and practice judging distances using that rake handle.

Your rear blindspots aren't really a problem when you're driving forward at a standard speed but as soon as you intend to move your car – either into another lane or to turn a corner – your blindspots become danger zones that are invisible simply by looking in your mirror.

Eliminate collisions against cars and objects that are in your blindspots by checking every time you plan to turn your wheel. When turning left, physically turn your head to the left and look over your left shoulder to see what's in your left blindspot (the area that extends from the rear of your car out toward the left in a triangle), and when turning right, physically turn your head to the right and look over your right shoulder to see what's in your right blindspot (the area that extends from the rear of your car out toward the right in a triangle).

If you have trouble remembering to do that, try these tricks:

• Ask someone in the car to remind you. Your children, in particular, will be delighted to participate in watching you like a hawk and helping you drive more safely.
• Put a piece of masking tape on your blinker arm. When you use your blinker to indicate a turn, the unusual texture won't distract you but will remind you to check your blindspot.

Blindspots are so easy to miss when you're driving but dangers can lurk there! Avoid collisions this March by watching your blindspots.

Safe driving is EVERYONE's responsibility

All safe drivers know that the safest drivers are the ones who are completely focused on the road – they use a hands-free device on the phone (or better yet, they don't talk on the phone at all). But a recent study by the University of Maryland Medical Center have found that pedestrians are possibly at higher risk if they're walking down the street while wearing headphones.

Of course it's not that headphone use itself is dangerous. Rather, the study highlights a concern that pedestrians are no longer actively focused on their surroundings. Therefore, the risks are higher that they might hear a car horn or the screech of tires. We would suggest that the problem is even greater than that: Pedestrians might simply be too engaged in their iPod to realize that they are walking across a busy street. You can read a brief synopsis of the study here or a more detailed synopsis of the study here. (To be fair, the study has drawn some criticism for the way it gathered information and the way the media has handled the details of the report.)

We don't want to add to the potential scaremongering that this article accuses the media of doing. However, we do want to highlight one important thing that this study does remind us of: Safety on the road is everyone's responsibility:

• Drivers control heavy steel machines that hurtle down the road at great speeds. Drivers have the responsibility to control their vehicles in a responsible way – focused and in full control. They must also remember that they share the road with others – other cars and other people.
• Passengers have two responsibilities: They need to help drivers keep watch for unseen threats, and they need to make sure that they don't distract the driver from focusing on the road.
• Cyclists have a legal right to the road and are expected to do so safely and carefully. However, bicycles can steer tighter and stop shorter and are sometimes harder to see than cars; therefore, cyclists should use the road confidently but remember that cars need lots of warning.
• Pedestrians should cross the road in well-marked crossing zones. They should signal their intention and move across quickly. Like any other road-user, pedestrians should be focused and pay attention to the environment around them.
• Parents and teachers have a responsibility, too: Ensure that our kids are constantly reminded to be safe and cautious around roadways. Kids can so easily dart in and out of traffic, running unseen from a playground and in a split second they can be in traffic.

Safe driving is ultimately the responsibility of the person behind the wheel of the car. However, everyone plays a part in safety on the roads regardless of whether they are a seasoned driver or a toddler on a tricycle.

Google Maps as a safe driving tool

Have you ever driven through a neighborhood you weren't familiar with as you looked for a house or business address? We all have at one point or another. It's not easy – you're driving slowly, avoiding parked cars, searching for the house number and street names. Your focus isn't 100% on the road, where it should be.

Compare that experience to driving in a neighbourhood that you are familiar with. It's dramatically different! You can confidently navigate the area and your focus is more safely on the road.

Google Maps can help you be a safer driver by turning even the most unfamiliar neighbourhoods into familiar ones.

Google Maps is more than just a 2-dimensional map – like what drivers used to use to plot a course whenever they wanted to go somewhere. Google Maps offers an even better way to plan ahead! That's because Google Maps gives you an interactive 3-dimensial view of your journey and destination! It allows you to plot our course and see what the surroundings are like before you actually go there!

Here's how it can help: If you are traveling somewhere you've never been before, use Google Maps to view the area first. See what your destination address looks like (so you don't have to take your eyes of the road to squint at house numbers). Watch for one-way streets, left turns across busy roads, unusual street configurations that will make it challenging to get around, and even look for parking before you leave your house!

Here's how to do it, step-by-step:
Go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) and type in your destination. Google will reveal the 2-dimensional map of where your destination address is.

Next, get Google Maps Street View. (See the vertical line on the left of the map that you can use to zoom in and out? At the top of that vertical line is a little orange "man". Click that orange human figure and drag it with your mouse to the point that Google indicates on the map as your destination. If Google has taken 3-D pictures of the area, the 2-D map will be replaced with a 3-D version of the address… as if you were standing on the street and looking around.

You can turn 360 degrees, you can move up and down the street, you can see street names and number and house addresses and watch for landmarks. And all of this is a way to drive more safely, especially in neighborhoods you're not familiar with.
Of course, Google Maps won't reveal changes that have occurred since the pictures were taken – such as road construction or if the house changed colour. But for the most part, you'll recognize the area and drive more safely because of it.

8 things to do before you take a trip

When you need to go to the corner store, you just quickly run out wearing whatever you happen to be wearing, and pick up the milk. But when you go on a long trip, you don't just go in whatever you happen to be wearing. Instead, you think about what you might need and you pack a suitcase.

When it comes to driving, we don't always take the same approach (but maybe we should). When you go to the corner store, you just jump in the car and go. No problem. But all too often, that's the same approach we take before embarking on a long trip.

However, on a long trip, we don't have the luxury of walking home if something happens to the car. On a long trip (especially on the Canadian prairies) it can be a loooooong walk to get somewhere if something happens to the car. So, if you want to enjoy a safe and happy long trip, think about doing the following things before you leave:

1. Check your oil, coolant, and washer fluid. In the prairies, it can be a long distance between towns and if your car runs out of these fluids, you may have a long way to go before you can get some more. Add bottles of extra oil, coolant, and washer fluid in the trunk.
2. Check your tire pressure. Tire pressure has a surprisingly large impact on driving – it can damage tires, keep the car from driving predictably, and can even increase fuel consumption. Check your tire pressure and bring them all up to manufacturer's specifications.
3. Make sure you have a spare tire and that it is ready to go (it has air and adequate pressure) and that you have a jack and lug wrench.
4. Put a gas can in your car in case you run out of gas.
5. Make sure your cell phone is charged up (but don't use your cell phone while driving, of course!)
6. Check your glove compartment for insurance, registration, and the owner's manual.
7. Plan your trip. (Check road conditions, weather, and the time you'll be driving).
8. Make sure you have the right kind of gear for the weather you'll be driving through. (Rain coat or winter clothes, for example). Don't forget a survival kit/emergency kit.

On a related note, make sure you get some rest before you drive and take plenty of breaks while on the road. That will help you to stay focused.

The above 8 tips are steps to take before you go on a long trip and they will help you to get to your destination safely and on time.

If you get into a collision while traveling, you'll find many Boyd Autobody locations throughout Western Canada and we'll be happy to repair your car and get you on your way.

Multitasking: No longer the time-saver we thought it was

Recently, I was in an elevator reading an article about multitasking. I almost forgot to push the button for my floor and then when the door opened, I forgot to get off the elevator. Sadly, that is not a joke. It really happened.

Multitasking was a big buzzword in the 1990's. Time management experts told us that we could accomplish twice as much in the same amount of time by doing two things at once. (Naturally, because our lives are so busy, many assumed that if they could do twice as much doing two things at once, they must be able to accomplish three times as much doing three things at once.)

Businesses jumped on this as a way to squeeze more productivity out of people and drivers adopted this mentality to spend their commuting time putting on their make-up, catching up on their reading, or gobbling down lunch.

But today's time management experts are revealing that the benefit of multitasking does not actually exist. Rather than doing one thing well, people who multitask do two things poorly. It's not just a matter of doing half the job, the combined effect is actually much worse! It has something to do with not being able to two things at once.

Therefore, when we drive and focus only on driving, 100% of our focus is on driving. But when we drive and split our focus between driving and some other act (eating, reading, disciplining children, talking on our phones, texting, etc.) we end up doing each of those activities far less than at 50% effectiveness.
Today's time management experts have a new buzzword that they are adopting and we think it perfectly applies to safe driving. It's called "singletasking" and it means doing one thing. (Yeah, we're not sure why there needs to be a word for it).

When you singletask, you do one thing at a time. So when you're behind the wheel, you aren't eating or texting or phoning or have one hand over the back seat trying to keep your kids from fighting with each other. When you singletask, your entire focus is directed toward one activity (driving) and you're able to achieve far more safer driving by singletasking compared to multitasking. You'll remember to check your blindspots and signal before turning and watch the road signs and stop when the car in front of you stops.

By singletasking, you drive better, you're more likely to get to your destination faster, you'll keep yourself and your family safer, and you'll reduce the expense and burden of a collision.

If you do get into a collision, the collision repair experts at Boyd Autobody & Glass are ready to fix your car quickly, restoring its safety and look to its pre-collision condition.

10 Ways that Safe Driving Saves You Money

Safe Driving reduces collisions, it reduces our stress levels, and it keeps our families safe and happy and alive. Those are great benefits and the best reasons to become a safer driver. But there are financial benefits to safer driving as well. In this article, we'll outline some of the ways that safer driving can help to save you money.

1. As a driver who obeys the speed limits, you get to your destination with only a few minutes extra (compared to speeding) plus you reduce the likelihood of a collision.
2. The more aggressively you drive, the harder you are on your vehicle, cost much more in fuel and in wear-and-tear on tires, brakes, and other systems.
3. In a collision, you might be responsible for your deductible. By driving safely, you save that payment.
4. There are thousands of collisions each year (124,000 injury- or fatality-causing collisions in 2009). Insurance companies pay to repair vehicles, they pay to provide injury rehab, they pay death benefits, they pay disability replacement-income. Collisions are increasing and the amount that insurance companies pay out is increasing. So those insurance companies raise rates regularly to cover their increasing costs. You pay increasingly higher insurance premiums even if you haven't been in a collision because of the cumulative cost of insurance among all policyholders. If we all drive safely, insurance rates won't rise as quickly.
5. In a collision, tax dollars are spent on emergency response, hospital services, and collision clean-up. Those tax dollars come out of your pocket. As collisions increase and costs increase, your tax dollars are impacted. If we all drive safely, tax spending won't rise as quickly.
6. Collisions might result in missed work and lost wages. By driving safely, you show up to work and get paid.
7. Along with damaging your car (replaced through insurance), collisions might damage items in your car (not all of which might be covered by insurance). By driving safely, you don't have to spend money to replace things you already own.
8. Collision repair might require you to rent a vehicle (and pay for rental car insurance). By driving safely, you don't have to rent a car or buy car rental insurance.
9. When you plan your route with the safe-driving skill of trip-planning, you'll reduce your fuel consumption and get to your destination faster. (Gas is expensive!)
10. Safer driving reduces stress and reduced stress leads to a healthier life… and a healthier life costs less to live – you eat less, you are more productive, you have fewer health costly troubles.

We've listed 10 ways that safe driving can save you money. Some of the money saved will be immediately noticed (such as less spent on fuel and less spent on speeding tickets) and some of the money saved will be spread over your lifetime. However it comes to you, money saved is always a good thing! It pays to be a safer driver.

What "I Am Legend" can teach you about safe driving

In the post-apocalyptic movie "I Am Legend", starring Will Smith, the main character Robert Neville drives around a deserted New York in a bunch of great-looking cars (especially the Ford Shelby GT500). Like all good post-apocalyptic movies (including "Mad Max: The Road Warrior", "The Book of Eli", AMC TV show "The Walking Dead", and others), the main character tries to eke out a living in a world turned upside down.

As viewers, we recognize remnants of our world but realize that it is no longer the world we know. And all of these movies can actually teach us an important lesson about safe driving.

In these movies, the main characters try to make the most of what is left... even though there isn't much left at all. And what makes each of these movies an interesting glimpse into a fictional future is the fact that technology has failed humanity.

In today's world, we rely heavily on technology. Work happens on computers. Billions of dollars are spent on web-based purchased. Our mobile phones never leave our sides and they connect us to family and friends. And, our vehicles are technological marvels of safety and control: Every day, science advances the safety and control of our vehicles just a little more. Cars are no longer "horseless buggies" that travel about as fast as a horse-drawn buggy. Rather, they speed along quickly and very quietly; they are designed with crumple zones and protective glass; they come equipped with front airbags, side airbags, and seat belts; they are controlled easily with power steering and power brakes; new technology includes steering wheel controls and even voice commands.

All of these things are wonderful advancements in technology. Unfortunately, if we're not careful, they can trick us into thinking that we are in control at higher speeds, and they trick us into assuming that we are safer than ever. (We are in control and we are safe… but we can become over-confident). That over-confidence can lead to carelessness or aggressive driving. And, as you know, over-confidence and aggressive driving can lead to collisions.

So, how can "I Am Legend" (and other post-apocalyptic movies) make you a better driver? They can remind you that technology is nice but we can't rely on it to save us. In those movies, technology failed and the world faced dire consequences. As drivers, technology can fail us, too: Our cars are safer and we have more control but we can still get seriously hurt (and we can seriously hurt others) in a collision.

The improved technology in our vehicles does give us more safety and better control but it is not a replacement for our own safe driving. As drivers, we need to focus on improving our safe driving skills and reducing our stress on the road and bring our over-confidence in check.

If you get into a collision, bring your car in to Boyd Autobody & Glass for a collision repair. We'll get you back out onto the road so you can face the world again!

NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya walks away from his Daytona 500 crash.

I'm writing this blog post while I'm watching the Daytona 500 (which was postponed from yesterday because of a rain delay).

The race started off pretty crazy with a crash on the second lap that knocked out a bunch of cars, and later a wheel went flying off of a car on pit road. (Sorry I missed whose car it was because I had just tuned in).

But just now, Juan Pablo Montoya's car spun out and crashed into a jet drying truck. A jet drying truck is a truck they use to dry the track. And the word "jet" is because they use a gigantic jet engine to force air onto the track. And jet engines run on... JET FUEL.

So when Juan Pablo Montonya's car crashed into the jet drying truck, it turned into a fireball and splashed jet fuel all over the track, bringing the race to a standstill.

Here's an image from NASCARonSPEED's Facebook page:

Crazy!

Here's a video of it from YouTube:



So glad to see that everyone walked away from the crash okay. There are a lot of safety devices at play in the NASCAR sport and this is the reason why!!!

Boyd Autobody & Glass loves to see good drivers who drive safely AND who walk away from collisions.

Whether around the corner or across the country, reduce collisions by planning your trip

If you want to be a safer driver, one of the skills you can adopt to help you eliminate collisions is to plan your trips before you go on them. And when I say "trips" I don't just mean any driving excursion in which you leave the city.

Rather, any trip where you get into your car – even just to the corner store – is an occasion where a potential collision can occur and is an opportunity for trip planning to help reduce the likelihood of collision.

Here are some tips to help you reduce collisions by planning your trip:

1. Be familiar with more than one route. Collisions are more likely to occur when your attention is elsewhere and if you are detoured through an unfamiliar route and aren't sure how to get to your destination, your focus is on street signs and direction rather than watching the road. This is an easy task when you are driving to the corner store but when you have to take an entirely new route home from work or over to your friend's house, the dangers increase. Check a map or mentally review your options before you get into your car.
2. Give yourself plenty of time. Collisions are more likely to occur when drivers are hurrying. So part of trip planning is to give yourself adequate time. On long trips, we might measure arrival time in hours. On local trips, we might measure it in minutes. Regardless of whether your trip is long or short, the closer you get to your intended arrival time, the higher your stress level can become (especially if you haven't arrived) and the risk increases that you will drive more aggressively. On long trips, add an extra hour or two. On short trips, add an extra few minutes.
3. Check weather conditions. Collisions are more likely to occur in bad weather, especially when drivers don't adjust their driving to accommodate the weather. If the weather is anything other than sunny and dry, add a few extra minutes to your trip. If there's snow or ice, make sure you have the right equipment in your car (i.e. a shovel, some salt, and even some survival gear).
4. Check road conditions. Collisions are more likely to occur when road conditions are not what you expected. In some cases, on roads that you are familiar with, this won't be a big problem. But the farther you stray off of your "regular" route and the longer your trip, the higher your risk of running into road conditions that you weren't expecting – construction, unplowed roads, rush hour, etc. Check the web for construction and weather reports before you travel very far from home.
5. Trip planning doesn't have to be a time-consuming task. But the longer your trip, or the more unfamiliar you are with the area you're driving in, the more time you should invest in trip planning. It will help you to stay focused on the road and in control of your car.

If you do get into a collision, Boyd Autobody and Glass has many convenient locations to repair your vehicle… even if you're in another city. Whether at home or traveling, we'd love to fix your car and get you on your way again!

February's Safe Driving Skill: Stay focused

Let's save lives this year! In 2012, we're sharing 12 tips (one a month) to help people become safer drivers.
Transport Canada reported that, in 2009, there were over 124,000 collisions on Canadian roads that resulted in injury or death. That is too many collisions and there's such an easy solution! We can all drive safer. Unfortunately, life gets in the way and it's too easy to become distracted or stressed out while driving – which can diminish our ability to act and react with caution.

Last month we covered the important skill of maintaining a safe speed. In February, work on staying focused while you drive.

There are so many things vying for our attention when we drive: Our kids are asking for things, our spouses are chatting with us, our cell phone is ringing, the radio is playing a great song. Of course, there are lots of things going on in our lives that are at the forefront of our minds, too: That conflict with our co-worker; that raise we really want; the chores we have to do to keep our home maintained; the many tasks we have for work; our credit card bill; our family responsibilities… they all crowd out what little attention we have to give.

With all of that going on, it's no wonder that the things going on around our vehicles get pushed aside. But remember: We are hurtling down the road in a steel cage at a speed that can seriously damage, injure, or even kill anything we strike. Doesn't it make sense for us to momentarily push aside those distracting thoughts and instead point our focus toward the road ahead?

Here are some tips to help:

1. If you are really stressed, don't get into the car to drive. Take a moment to relax and distress with a quick walk.
2. If you have a lot of things on your mind, write them down on a piece of paper and put the paper into your pocket. When you get to your destination, you can take out the paper and handle those things but thinking about them while you drive is just dangerous.
3. Turn off your cell phone!
4. If there is a serious distraction – for example, the kids' behavior gets out of hand – pull the car over to deal with it. Glaring at your kids through the rear view mirror isn't safe discipline!
5. Develop the habit to keep reminding yourself of your surroundings. Rather than driving on autopilot and letting your subconscious drive, maintain a running commentary about what you're doing to keep you focused.

Safe driving benefits everyone. It's one of those things that just makes sense. This February, commit to driving with greater focus!

If Hollywood Predictions of Driving Come True

If television and movies are an accurate indication of what the future will be like, here is what it will be like to drive:

1. If the Jetsons are an accurate depiction of what driving is like in the future: We'll drive around in flying cars and that means there are going to be way more collisions. Sure, the flying car manufacturers will tell you that there will be fewer collisions but consider this: No one checks their blindspots now and we're only driving on a 2-dimensional plane. Factor in vertical lift and that's a whole other set of blindspots that we'll ignore.

2. If Star Wars (and its sequels and prequels) are an accurate depiction of what driving is like in the future: Everything goes faster. Today, we've got the high-pitched whine of street bikes to warn us of their approach but in the future, people will be racing around on super-fast jet bikes. We'll have to change the rearview mirrors from "objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear" to "if you see it in your rearview mirror, it's probably too late." (Note: The IT guy just pointed out that Star Wars happened "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"… so this one might not be a problem).

3. If Star Trek is an accurate depiction of what driving is like in the future: We'll have nothing to worry about because we'll beam everywhere. (That's good news because maybe I won't be as late to dinner at my mother-in-law's house on Sunday afternoon… oh, but it probably means that we'll have to stay longer because we can no longer use the "long drive home" as an excuse to leave early).

4. If Mad Max is an accurate depiction of what driving is like in the future: We'll be forced to drive like maniacs from one collision site to another as we search for gasoline for our cars or dog food to eat. That's alarming enough but even more alarming is how uncomfortable the all-leather clothes will feel in the hot sun.

5. If 2012 is an accurate depiction of what driving is like in the future: Everything will be normal until the very end… and then the world will be destroyed and we won't have to worry about cars anymore anyway. Oh. That's kind of depressing.

If we're still driving in the future, and if you robot chauffeur gets into a collision, bring your car (or jet cycle) in to Boyd Autobody & Glass and we'll fix it up and get you back out on the road quickly and safely.

"VERA" will help you avoid collisions and keep your family safe while you drive

Doctors use checklists to make sure that they check all the right things when diagnosing someone or when performing surgery. Their checklist makes sure that they factor in everything or don't forget the tweezers after operating.

Pilots also use checklists to make sure that they have everything covered before they get the plane into the air. Their checklist makes sure that the plane will operate safely and won't run out of gas so you can land on the ground.

Checklists are invaluable tools even for the things we do every single day. They help to keep us focused on the right things and not get distracted. Here is a four-point checklist to help you drive safer.

Use the acronym "VERA" to help you remember these four safety points the next time you get in the car.

Vehicle – Take a look around your vehicle and be aware of how it runs. Is something not quite right – such as squeaky brakes or deflated tires? How will it impact your driving? Also, make sure that there is nothing inside the vehicle that will distract you. Turn off cell phones and keep your sandwich wrapped up until you get to your destination. While you're driving, notice how your car is running and if anything changes during your trip.

Environment – Be aware of the environment. What environmental factors – like rain or snow or fog or ice or sunlight or darkness – will impact your driving? How should you adjust your driving to accommodate these factors and make sure that you get to your destination safely? While you're driving, notice how the environment changes and adjust your driving accordingly.

Road – While you're driving, the road will dictate how you drive. Watch for road-related factors like: Speed-limits, traffic control (stop lights, stop signs, etc.), and unusual conditions like construction or an accident. As well, pay attention to driveways and other roads that intersect with the one you're driving on, as all of these are entrance points for new elements that influence how you drive.

Arena of Focus – This is the 360 degree circle around your car. The bigger the circle and the more you're aware of what's going on inside that circle, the safer drier you'll be. Practice increasing the size of your arena of focus (plus your awareness of what is going on inside that arena). Pay attention to pedestrians and cyclists in your arena, as well as other cars – which ones are moving, which ones are parked. Assume that any of those elements (pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles) and suddenly change direction without you realizing it.

Now that you know this checklist, run through it regularly while driving. Make it a habit to run through the checklist as you pass every single block. At first, it will seem repetitive and almost silly. But practice makes perfect and it will become second nature.

This is a great way to help you become a safer driver and avoid collision. Unfortunately, not every collision is avoidable. If you do get into a collision, Boyd Autobody can repair your car and get you back to where you belong – behind the wheel.

Useful tricks to help you drive safer

There are a lot of reasons why collisions occurs but one of the biggest reasons is because people cannot accurately judge distance when they are driving.

(It's not that humans are incapable of judging distance accurately, it's just because our sensation of speed is dulled by the fact that we are sitting in a quiet, comfortable car.)

So, if we want to accurately judge distance to drive safer, here is a useful piece of information to know: When traveling at 50 km/h in dry conditions, it can take an average car approximately 24 metres (78 feet) to stop.

• Forget what you think about your superior foot-eye coordination or ABS brakes – physics is in control here and you get 24 metres as the minimum stopping distance. (That's assuming that you actually have good foot-eye coordination and you can put down your coffee in time and have a car in perfect operating condition and are not driving in rain and snow). (Source http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie).
• Park your car at the curb and then measure. Use a steady, full pace (which is slightly less than a metre for most people) and count off at least 24 paces. Or just look at the property lines. In a city where property frontages are 50 feet each, you'll need one and a half properties to stop. Or use sidewalk squares – since most sidewalk squares are a uniform length (often they are 4 or 5 feet long), count off the required number of sidewalk squares. Once you know the distance, mark it somehow and then sit in your car and observe how far away it is from your car.
• See for yourself: Take your car out to an empty road and drive at a steady 50 km/h. Then, when you pass a fixed point (such as a fence post), try to stop your car as quickly as possible without locking up your brakes. Then get out of your car and see for yourself what the distance is. The distance will surprise you and should alert you to the distance required when driving on busy streets.
• One of the most practical tips to use while driving (to keep your speed in check) is to use the "two second rule". The two second rule advises that all drivers keep a minimum distance away from vehicles in front of them under optimum conditions (and increase that distance to three or even four seconds when the weather is bad). To apply the two second rule while you drive, choose a fixed point beside the road (like a tree or a telephone pole) and watch the car in front of you as it passes that fixed point. As soon as its rear bumper passes the fixed point, start counting – "one Mississippi, two Mississippi" – and see when your front bumper passes the same fixed point. If you're like most drivers, you'll pass the tree or pole in one or less seconds!
• The distances we've covered are only for regular city travelling at 50 km/h. It's important to remember that as your car speeds up, your distance required to stop increases, too.

Even when we're extra careful, collisions still happen. When they do, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass and we'll help you get your car fixed up and back on the road quickly and safely.

5 things you can learn about safe driving from NASCAR

Here in Canada, the preferred sport might be hockey but there are many motorsports fans who enjoy the deafening roar of a NASCAR race.

Even if you're not a fan (and even if you're not convinced that driving around in a circle can be called "a sport"), you can probably still appreciate the power and skill that driving a 750 horsepower race car through traffic-jam-tight spaces.

Here are 5 things you can learn about safe driving from NASCAR

1. Environmental conditions play a role in your ability to control the car. If you listen to commentators and race car drivers before and during the race, you'll hear about how the cars change their handling as the racetrack warms up during the race. It's the same for your car, too. The environment plays a role in how your car handles, so take a moment before you drive to assess what the driving conditions are like.
2. You can't mess with physics. In almost every race, you'll observe as a cocky, inexperienced driver approaches a turn too quickly and (in spite of their best effort) slams into the wall. Even experienced drivers do that from time to time. And so can you. You can think you're in control but the real thing controlling your car is physics and when you combine speed and weight, it becomes difficult to control your vehicle.
3. Pit stops are crucial. You'll often see races where drivers push their cars as long as they can without going into the pits… sometimes it helps but often it hurts them: Their tires don't grip as well and they run out of gas. Your car is a machine with a lot of moving parts and you need to make sure those parts are functioning as efficiently as they can be. Bringing your car into your mechanic for a "pit stop" can help avoid accidents by making sure your car is in peak working condition.
4. Pay attention to those around you. The very best drivers are the ones who know exactly what's going on all 360 degrees around them. When they have that level of awareness, they can take opportunities to pass when they arise or they can avoid accidents that can suddenly happen. When you're driving, pay attention and stay focused and know exactly what goes on around you… for the same reasons!
5. Speed is only part of the equation. In NASCAR, the first person past the checkered flag wins. But strategic racing can earn points for all kinds of other benefits… and sometimes speed isn't the most important factor. Likewise, slowing down while you drive can help you get where you need to go safely.

When you're driving, remember these five NASCAR-inspired lessons to driver safer than you ever have before. And if you do get into a crash, make sure Boyd Autobody & Glass is your "pit stop" to repair your car and get you back into your race quickly and safely.

Forget 'road rage'… people now have intersection rage

Recently, I was turning in an intersection and the car behind me was right up on my bumper. As soon as we completed the turn, the other driver raced around me and shouted obscenities as he passed, and was quick to point out that I didn't turn fast enough for him.

Strange, because I estimate that I got through the intersection in probably three or four seconds. Even if I was a slow driver (which I'm not) I would have still cleared the intersection in less than ten seconds. Unfortunately, the driver behind me suffered from what I call "Intersection Rage". It's a subset of Road Rage that seems to only spring up around intersections.

Intersection Rage can be triggered by any combination of the following ten problems:

1. The lights take too long to turn from red back to green
2. Other cars that slow down too slowly
3. Other cars that slow down too quickly/too close to the intersection
4. Other cars that stop too close to the car in front
5. Other cars that stop too far from the car in front
6. Other cars that run a yellow light
7. Other cars that jump the light (by going before it turns green)
8. Other cars that accelerate too quickly
9. Other cars that accelerate too slowly
10. Other cars that that take too long in the intersection

 Do any of these drive you crazy? I think most of us suffer from some sort of Intersection Rage because I suspect that most of us are annoyed by a handful of these problems… although I think it's probably different for each person. I don't care so much if someone slows down far from the intersection but I'm driven crazy by people who feel the need to jam on the accelerator as soon as the light turns green.

Which of these drives you crazy?

The problem is, you can't do a lot about how other drivers drive. In fact, if you look at these ten problems, none of them are things you can personally control (and maybe that's why they make us bonkers).
But let's take a minute and assess ourselves: How many of these issues are REAL problems that should annoy us?

I think that there are two things we need to do to eliminate Intersection Rage from our driving habits.

First, we need to be a little more courteous to other people. It's not a contest out there… it's just driving.

Second, we need to revisit our ability to tell time. Yes, this probably sounds funny but I think it's a significant cause of the problem: We get upset if someone clears an intersection in six seconds instead of four seconds.

We get impatient if the light is red for 2 minutes instead of 1 minute.

Don't let an intersection get the better of you. Master your Intersection Rage!

If an intersection gets the better of you and your car is wrecked in the process, bring it in to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We'll fix it up and make it safe for your family once again.

We're living in a zombie apocalypse

Yes, you read that correctly. We are currently living in a zombie apocalypse and we're all in immense danger. But before you get a rifle and lock yourself away in a remote cottage with a bunch of strangers, you should know that there is something you can do about it.

Each day, millions of sleep-deprived people get out of bed and shuffle toward their car (with hair askew and arms outstretched). Once in their car, they drive to work, paying about as much attention to the road as the undead pays to personal hygiene. After a long day at work these same zombies shuffle back to their cars and journey home. They'll go to bed too late and won't get enough sleep…

… And tomorrow, the undead will rise to roam the earth again. Fatigue is a serious problem on our roads and it is creating an army of drivers who are as close to zombies as you can get (while still being medically alive).
We don't get enough sleep at night. We work hard through the day. We're tired during our commute to and from work. We're busy and stressed with family responsibilities. We don't go to bed on time at night. This vicious cycle repeats itself every single day.

It takes a toll on our minds and bodies and it turns us into the living dead: Research shows that fatigue dramatically decreases our ability to think clearly and logically, it slows down our mental reaction time and our physical responses, and it degrades our ability to act with precision.

The only difference between these real life zombies and the ones depicted in fiction is the insatiable appetite for human flesh. Otherwise (at least from a mental perspective), our streets are filled with zombie drivers.
"It's not that bad" readers might object. "Everyone's just a little tired… but we have to carry on anyway". But it IS bad. Studies from the National Institute of Health (in the US) show that the effects of fatigue compared to moderate alcohol consumption are surprisingly similar. Yes, you read that correctly: The more tired you are, the more you react as if you've been drinking.

Imagine if every driver woke up in the morning and drank 3 or 4 beers or a couple glasses of wine before driving to work, and then had the same amount of alcohol before going home for the night. If everyone was doing that, we wouldn't drive on the streets because of the high risk… But that dramatic and alarming illustration is really happening on our streets today, all because of fatigue!

The solution is simple, and here is where we depart from our usual "slow down and drive safely" articles to recommend that you eat balanced meals, drink plenty of water, get some exercise, and go to bed early. All of these great disciplines (which we all want to do anyway) help to improve our ability to sleep and decreases our stress (which also helps improve our ability to sleep) and a good night's sleep makes us more productive AND safer drivers.

By the way, if your car is attacked by zombies, bring it in to your local Boyd Autobody & Glass location. We'll take care of your car so you can get back on the road safely (and while we're fixing your car, you should get some sleep!).

The pitfalls of experience

When you look at frequency of collisions by age group, the numbers are startling but not always a huge surprise: Collisions among young drivers are the highest. Actuarial numbers reveal that inexperience (perhaps combined with excessive bravado and socializing) can lead to an increase in collisions… On the other hand, years of driving experience help to create safer drivers. But experience only lessens the number of collisions, it doesn't eliminate them altogether. That's because experience can also create and prolong bad habits among seasoned drivers. Here are four reasons why experienced drivers are also drivers with very bad habits:

1. People become lazy

We don't like to admit it but we become a little lazy. We become drivers who just do the bare minimum to get somewhere. Instead of checking our blind spots every time we turn, we do it less and less and then just drop it altogether. Instead of paying attention to the road (the same road we travel every day to and from work for a decade) we drive it on autopilot.

2. Laws change

There was a time when it wasn't against the law to use a cell phone. And when I drive around, I see many people who don't seem to feel that this new law applies to them. And there was a time when it wasn't the law to move to the other lane when you pass an emergency vehicle pulled over to the side of the road. I have trouble with this one. And, there was a time when it was legal to drive without seatbelts. It's almost hard to believe but some people still have trouble with this one!

3. Technology changes

Cars become more powerful and safer, but sometimes these features aren't always appreciated. As humourous as it may sound to younger drivers, older drivers might not be used to their car's rapid acceleration or the stopping power of ABS brakes.

4. Cities evolve

If you drive the same way to work every day for a decade, you might get used to the 50 kmh speed… until they build a school and drop the speed to 40 kmh. Suddenly, your experience and habits are working against you as you drive dangerously fast (and probably on autopilot) through a schoolzone.

Young drivers need to learn to develop good habits, and that is something that insurance companies and schools and law enforcement has really come together on to promote. Unfortunately, as people age, their good habits can become bad habits and their experience can actually work against them.

Check your driving skills and see how up-to-date you are. If you're an experienced driver, there's a good chance that you could use a refresher.

If you do get into a collision, bring your car in to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We've been working with drivers for years to get their cars repaired and back out on to the road quickly and safely.

Bad driving habits we learn from television

There's nothing like a mindless action flick to escape into after a busy week at work. The villains are villainous, the heroes are virtuous, and no one gets seriously wounded in spite of the amount of shooting, punching, and car-crashing depicted.

It would be great if that escapism was purely escapism… but it's possible that we subconsciously learn bad habits from television and film. Here are four bad driving habits we see frequently in movies and TV:

1. You don't need to look out the windshield when you're having a conversation

This one is one of the most common! Two people are having a conversation in a car but the driver doesn't look at the road for extended periods of time. That may work in movies but it doesn't work in real life! Keep your eyes on the road and off of the leading lady sitting beside you.

2. You can do several complex things while driving perfectly (usually through a crowded, narrow European street)
Laws are being passed all over North America to ban drivers from using cell phones while driving. Statistics show that we can't use cell phones and drive at the same time. But we're taught by television that we can use a cell phone, shoot a gun, solve a mystery (and probably eat a sandwich) while racing at high speeds… and usually through the most crowded, narrow, and winding streets in Europe.

3. Everyone else moves at a uniform rate of speed, allowing you to weave through traffic

Have you ever noticed this? While the hero races after the villain, every other car seems to drive at a uniform speed and perfectly spaced from the person in front of them, allowing the two action cars to slalom between the innocent drivers. This doesn't happen in real life: Beware of all other cars on the road… no one ever drives at a uniform speed.

4. Car chases have no consequences

This one is another very common scenario in action movies: Entire city streets are completely demolished, cars crash into buildings, they drive on sidewalks, they sideswipe parked cars, they run red lights… all while people from one car shoot at another. Amazingly, no one gets hurt. In real life, this doesn't happen. There are consequences to every decision we make on the road and some of those consequences are disastrous… or even fatal!

It's okay to watch exciting action movies and to get caught up in the thrilling adventure. But make sure you get a reality check before you sit behind the wheel of your real car… because the consequence-free high-speed action sequences do not exist in real life.

If you experience the consequences of a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We've been helping action heroes like you by repairing cars and making them safe again.

Why you SHOULD talk to yourself while driving

If you've been driving for a while, it's easy to slip into the "autopilot mode" that we all can so easily drive with. You know the mode I'm talking about – it's when you stop thinking about the road around you and your focus goes into your mind where your thoughts are. You start to think about all the other things you need to do in your day and you forget to pay attention.

That's when collisions occur.

To avoid this problem, follow this one simple trick: Keep a running commentary about what's going on around you, as if you are a golf commentator. (You can do this out loud or, more likely, you'll just do this in your head).

So, as you drive down the road you might say: "I'm approaching an intersection in 100 yards. The light is green now but it could be yellow by the time I get there. There are two cars in front of me and they might brake quickly to reach that yellow…
 

… No, the light has stayed green. I can make it through. But there are cars driving on the cross street. Do they see that their light is red?
 

… Yes, they do. It's safe to proceed."

What I’m describing here is not as crazy as it sounds. You did this when you were first learning to drive (even if you don't remember doing that). And it's a great way to help keep us focused on what's going on and to create enough relevant "noise" in our minds to crowd out the distracting thoughts that arise.

As you narrate your journey, watch what's going on all around you.

• Name the cars and where they are – "red sedan is ahead, turning left… I'd better slow down", "blue SUV is right behind me but is signalling to pass… I'll keep an eye on my blind spot".
• Discuss the road geometry (intersections, curves, corners) and signs.
• Highlight potential dangers – "There's a school zone ahead and it's 3:30… kids could come running out into traffic unexpectedly". And don't forget to talk about potential contingencies to situations.
• On long trips, this skill also helps you stay alert. Don't forget to include gauge checks, mirror checks, and car-function checks – "The car's performance is changing slightly. It looks like the temperature gauge is rising" or "Mirror check! There's an 18-wheeler behind me. I'd better be careful about how quickly I slow down."

Like any skill that you might have used once but haven't used in a while, you might feel rusty and you might even forget to do it. But do your best to remember. And if it feels weird, just remember that you've used this skill in the past and it's something that can help you stay alert and focused and safe while you drive.

January's Safe Driving Skill: Maintain the proper speed

This is part of a twelve-part series on improving safe driving skills in 2012.

In 2009 (the last year in which data is available), Transport Canada reported that there were over 124,000 vehicle collisions causing injury or fatality in Canada. Imagine what would happen if we all pitched in to improve our driving skills and to become safer drivers! If we could reduce that number by even 1%, that's a significant reduction of 1,240 injury- or death-causing collisions in a year!

This month, the skill we're focusing on is maintaining the proper speed. It is so easy to speed in our cars, for two main reasons:

1. Advanced technology has made our cars safer and smoother to drive, thereby increasing our perception of control and safety and reducing our feeling of speed, even when we're hurtling down road and over 100 kilometers an hour!
2. Our busy, stress-filled, anxiety-driven lives push us to run and run and run – run to work, run home, run the kids to soccer, run home… all while facing the challenges of modern life AND fighting other drivers. Both of these factors can easily increase our speed. (And perhaps there's an inner scofflaw that convinces us it's okay to drive 5 to 15 kilometers an hour above the speed limit no matter what speed zone we're in.

We need to slow down. The slower we go, the better our time to react to situations going on around us and the more distance we have to make the appropriate adjustments. Obviously it's not realistic to go only 5 kilometers an hour but a reasonable speed – up to the speed limit – is far better than going over the speed limit.

We think we're in control at higher speeds and we might have some control over our vehicle but the truth is, we're not nearly maintaining as much control as we think we are. And, the distance to stop our car at higher speeds increases dramatically (more than proportionally!) to our speed. So doubling our speed doesn't double our stopping distance… it can triple it! So, how can you improve your driving skill of "maintaining proper speed" during 2012? Here are some tips:

1. Give yourself more time than you used to give yourself to get where you need to go. Add 10 to 15 minutes for commuting to work. Add 15 to 20 minutes for those cross-town trips. You'll not only drive safer, you'll also reduce your own stress level!
2. Obey the posted limit. Don't use it as a guide and then add 5 to 15 kilometers an hour.
3. Pick a speed and stick to it. Not only is the habit "keeping your speed reasonable", but it's also "maintaining" a safe speed. Maintaining the same safe speed makes you predictable to those around you.

Let's all work together to make 2012 a safer year on our highways!

Make 2012 the year of safe driving!

According to Transport Canada, there were over 124,000 vehicle collisions that resulted in injury or death in 2009 (according to the most recent statistics). That is a lot of collisions... and it comes at a high human cost. And with the constant increase in cars on the road, and a growing population, it's not likely that those numbers have decreased or even stayed the same since 2009.

But what would happen if we could decrease those numbers? What would happen if every driver tried to improve their skills? What would happen if every driver became even slightly better?

If all Canadians pitched in to become safer drivers – even SLIGHTLY safer drivers, and we could reduce the number of injury- or death-causing collisions by even 1%, that would mean 1240 fewer collisions this year! That's 100 fewer collisions each month.

That's a huge number of people who would be injury free; that's a huge number of people who would live longer; that's a huge number of families whose lives wouldn’t be disrupted or even torn apart by collision.
And along with the personal costs, there are other benefits, too: Insurance rates wouldn't be impacted upwards; tax dollars wouldn't be spent on using ambulance resources, hospital resources, and police resources to respond to these collisions.

… All from a slight drop in collisions.

It is entirely possible to drive this number downward and the benefits are very real, even if the drop is as small as 1%!

You can do your part in reducing the number of injury- and death-causing collisions in Canada by driving safer and driving smarter. It all starts with improving your safe driving skills. Over the next 12 months, we'll be dedicating one blog post per month to improving specific safe driving skills. We'll talk about the specific skill and we'll give you some tips and practical ideas to improve that skill.

The potential results are exciting: You'll drive increasingly safer with each passing month. You'll get where you want to go and you'll feel good about doing your part to reduce the number of collisions on the road… and who knows, you might even detect some of the "spin off" benefits like lower interest rates and better use of taxes.

None of these skills are going to be jaw-dropping, eye-popping things you've never heard of. But that's okay. A constant reminder of improvement in the tried-and-true areas that you are familiar with will help you to make the small but necessary changes toward safer driving.

Boyd Autobody & Glass is there to help. Along with providing safe driving tips and ideas on this blog and our collision repair website, we also have collision repair locations all over Western Canada to help you if you get into a collision.

The story of a collision: Why it's rarely just one cause

Once upon a time there were two drivers – Adam and Bill – and they got into a collision. Here's what happened (and keep reading to find out why it matters to you).

Adam was heading north on a main road, happily minding his own business and listening to the latest Top 40 tunes on the radio. Bill was driving west along a secondary road that intersected the main road, and he pulled up to a stop sign, intending to turn left (south) onto the main road. He looked both ways; it looked clear. He signalled. He pulled across the northbound lane, and was about to turn into the southbound lane when Adam's car appeared out of nowhere and, in spite of slamming on the brakes, Adam clipped the rear quarter panel of Bill's car. CRUNCH! Everyone was okay but here's the REAL story behind the collision:

• Adam was traveling slightly above the speed limit. Had he been traveling at the speed limit, he would have dramatically reduced the stopping distance required in an emergency braking situation.
• Bill pulled up to the stop sign and looked both ways. He glanced left then right, and then he pulled out. But the slightest bend and dip in the road kept Adam's car from being seen. Had Bill looked slightly more carefully for a moment longer, he would have seen Adam's car.
• Adam was driving carefully but his gaze drifted to the radio for just a moment as he turned up his favorite song. It was just a second, but it was just enough not to notice Bill's car edging out from the stop sign.
• Adam saw Bill at the last moment and slammed on the brakes. He had ABS but his brakes weren't the newest, and neither were his tires. And the road had a little bit of gravel on it. If Adam's brakes were slightly better, and if his tires had just a little more grip, and if the road didn't have gravel on it, Adam might have been able to stop.

Fortunately, the two drivers saw each other at the last minute so Bill accelerated slightly to get out of the way and Adam mashed the brakes and steered defensively to get out of the way… and the result of the collision was not as bad as it could have been.

Here's why this story matters to you: As drivers, we may feel that we are good and careful drivers, and it's easy to think that collisions happen to other people who are not careful drivers. But the story of Adam and Bill is not that uncommon – here were two regular, safe drivers. A combination of several factors come together to create a collision and it can happen to anyone. All it takes is just a few different elements that you can't always prepare for.

If you get into a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody to be repaired. We know what it's like to go through the stress of a collision and we'll make things easier on you to get your car back on the road quickly and safely.

Lessons from Canada's Worst Driver #5

This is part 5 of a 5-part series on the lessons we can learn by watching Canada's Worst Driver. If you ever get a chance, watch an episode or two as both a quick refresher on some of the basics about safe driving but also as a reality check to realize that no one is safe on the roads as long as these people are on the roads!
The lesson we're covering in this article is: "Stay calm and carry on". That's a saying that goes back to the war (although it's seen an inexplicable resurgence in recent times). It's a worthy lesson to learn from Canada's Worst Drivers.

We regularly see Canada's Worst Drivers encountering situations that are overwhelming to them… even though they seem to be situations that most of us face every day. For example, they might be asked to drive carefully down a course without hitting the walls on the course. And, because it's good television, they end up melting down and weeping uncontrollably and crashing into things and then running off of camera, often accompanied by the bleeping of the editor's "curse" button.

What most of these drivers don't seem to possess is emotional self-control. It's as if their emotions are bubbling just below the surface and the slightly ding or bump or scrape from their car will turn into an emotionally explosive situation.

You and I might have slightly better control of our emotions, but not all of us do. And, we all have some triggers that can turn us from civilized into emotional disasters.

So, if you want to be a better driver, the best thing you can do is stay calm in all situations.

It's hard to make the decision to keep your wits about you, but it's the best thing to do on the road. Here are a few examples where a little more calm and a little less emotion would be helpful:

• Rush hour. Yes, we're all going as quickly as we can so sticking your head out the window or leaning on the horn won't get the other cars moving faster. Likewise, when someone does those things to you, retaliating won't help. Stay calm and carry on.
• At 4-way stops. When vehicles approach a 4-way stop, things can get confusing. Some people go straight, some people turn, and some people generously wave others on. It can be stressful to get through. Stay calm and carry on.
• In tight spaces or high-stress situation. If you are trying to parallel park in the middle of downtown, you'll probably have cars honking at you like there's a sale on car horns. Ignore them. Stay calm and carry on.
• In a collision. Collisions are jarring and very troublesome and they can bring out a lot of emotion. Sometimes people leave the scene of an accident, not because they're on the run but because they freak out and can't handle the stress. Stay calm and carry on.

The decision to stay calm and carry on is not easy but it's necessary if we want to be safer drivers.
If you do get into a collision, stay calm and bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass for a fast, safe repair.

Lessons from Canada's Worst Driver #4

Canada's Worst Driver is a reality TV show in which bad-driver participants are nominated by a friend or loved one and they learn how to become better drivers… with a lot of tears and melodrama along the way.
In this article (part 4 of a 5-part series on lessons we can learn by watching Canada's Worst Driver), we'll be talking about the 4th lesson we can learn from Canada's Worst Driver: Pay attention and be responsible.

Most of the contestants on the show will arrive at "The Rehab Centre" (that's what it's called on the show) and they seem to be completely oblivious to their problems. Sometimes their problems are bad habits that are deeply ingrained from years of bad driving – such as driving too slow or not being able to deal emotionally with traffic. But a lot of the drivers are nominated for a different reason: They are simply unfocused and irresponsible.

Usually, the lack of focus comes from cell phone usage or from food or from being distracted by other things (pets, children, etc.). And usually the irresponsibility comes from allowing these distractions to pull away their focus but they don't adjust their speed accordingly. In other words: They drive fast while talking on the phone and eating.

So what's the lesson here? It's probably obvious but it bears mentioning: Focus on driving, and be responsible when driving.

Focus on driving: Driving is more complicated than we think it is. The activity of driving deserves our full and undivided attention. Things that take our hands off the wheels or our eyes off the road should be eradicated from our driving habit. If your cell phone is going to be a temptation every time it chimes, turn it off. If you like to eat on the ride home after work, stop at a restaurant. If you like to travel with your pets in the car, put them in the backseat and restrain them with a pet-appropriate safety device.

Be responsible: Don't speed. That one should be obvious. Be courteous. That one should be obvious, too. If we slowed down slightly and didn't mind that another driver passes us on the road, our entire outlook in the day will be completely different! Responsibility also means: When something happens to change driving conditions or to pull your focus away from the road, adjust your driving appropriately. Slow down or stop at the side of the road, take care of whatever the situation is, and then return to driving.

These two lessons seem obvious but it's clear from watching Canada's Worst Driver that there is an epidemic of distraction and irresponsibility on the road, and those two factors help to contribute to millions of dollars in damage, hundreds of thousands of injuries, and thousands of fatalities on Canadian roads.

If you get into a collision, Boyd Autobody & Glass can help. With our convenient, local locations, we have a shop that can help to repair your car and get you back on the road safely!

Lessons from Canada's Worst Driver #3

In the TV show Canada's Worst Driver, bad drivers are nominated by family or friends to "go to rehab" and learn to be better drivers. In the early episodes, viewers are exposed to some terrible driving skills by these nominated bad drivers… eventually they do get better.

This is part 3 of a 5-part article series highlighting some of the key themes we see over and over again from the TV show Canada's Worst Driver… and it offers a lesson to all Canadians. In this article, the lesson is: Know where your wheels are.

This sounds funny but it's surprising to discover just how bad drivers are at understanding where their car's wheels are. What's more surprising is how much better they become once they learn where their wheels are. In fact, you'll discover that most of the challenges the show's contestants have to perform (and most of the elements of driving that you and I face every day) are largely impacted by an understanding of where your wheels are.

Here are a few things to know:

When driving forward, your wheels are in line with each other. But when turning, each of your wheels take their own path and your rear wheels cut a sharper corner than your back wheels. Therefore, if you want to make a clean turn around a corner without running up onto the curb, you need to slightly oversteer with your front wheels so your back wheels can make the turn. Therefore making a turn, always consider what path the inside wheel is going to take and adjust your steering accordingly.

And here's something else to remember: The longer your car, the more your car will "cut the corner" during your turn. (That's why those big 18-wheelers have to sometimes pull into the far lane in order to make a turn safely).

It's different when you are reversing. That's because the wheels that determine direction are in the "back" – they follow the wheels that don’t determine direction. Although this gives you a lot of precision control when reversing, it also presents an entirely new dynamic when reversing that you don't have to consider when driving forward. The front fenders of your car are highly exposed to damage because you can easily steer into something that you aren't looking at when reversing.

If you find that you hit the curb a lot when turning (whether driving forward or reversing), there's a good chance that you struggle with knowing where your wheels are. Take some time to practice in an empty parking lot: Make turns going forward and going backward to get to know how a turn impacts the location of your wheels.

If you're turning and you collide with something (or if someone else is turning and collides with you), bring your car to one of our convenient local Boyd Autobody & Glass locations. We'll restore the look and safety of your car.

Lessons from Canada's Worst Driver #2

Canada's Worst Driver is a television show in which bad drivers attend "Driver Rehabilitation" to learn how to become better drivers. Inspired by lessons from the show, we've created a 5-part article series about 5 lessons the rest of us can learn about how to drive better.

In this article, the second lesson we can learn from Canada's Worst Driver is to look where you want to go. Now, as you read this you might think that this is possibly the most obvious advice ever written, but you'd be surprised at what's really going on out there on the roads.

Drivers should look where they are going but very frequently, they do not. On the TV show Canada's Worst Driver, we see collision after collision after collision because drivers aren't looking where they want to go.

Here are three typical scenarios that every driver (possibly even you) encounters every time they get behind the wheel.

1. When driving down a normal street with a clear view and easy, predictable traffic, we can become a little lazy. Our eyes will fixate on a point just in front of our car (perhaps 10 or 15 feet in front of the car). Instead of diligently looking around at everything, we zone out and turn into zombies who are focused without really focusing. Instead of looking where we want to go (straight ahead) we are lulled into thinking that we are looking straight ahead but instead we're just unfocused.
2. Or, let's say that you are focused – not in that zombie state – and you are trying to drive diligently. Instead of focusing on the road ahead (and occasionally your mirrors) and using your peripheral vision to take in additional information, you end up looking intently at the radio or the speedometer or the climate controls or your coffee cup. You miss the road ahead. And, if you're not careful, your gaze can linger on these items for an unsafe amount of time.
3. Or here's the most insidious of all of the scenarios. If you are surprised by something – an animal or a child or an oblivious postal worker – you look AT them because they are a visual break in the landscape pattern. But you should see them and immediately look at where you want to turn to avoid them. When watching Canada's Worst Driver, you see this as a skill that drivers don't have until they practice. And once they master it, they can accomplish some complicated evasive driving maneuvers that would make most normal drivers quake with fear.

So, when you're driving, look intently at the road ahead. Rely on your peripheral vision to take in other details that you need. And when you're surprised by something unexpected, learn to spot the danger and immediately look at where you want to drive.

Collision can happen – maybe someone hit you because they weren't looking where they wanted to go. When that happens, bring your car to your local Boyd Autobody shop for a safe, professional repair.