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.