What 'Back to School' Means for Drivers

It's that time of year again when our mailboxes are brimming with flyers for back to school specials. Pens for a dime? Notebooks for a quarter? Back to school outfits for a twoonie? Sounds good! We'll take a dozen of each!

But "back to school" means something else entirely for drivers. "Back to school" should be synonymous with "SLOW DOWN".

In the summer drivers tend to relax a little because (compared to winter driving) the roads are nice and dry and we can see far ahead and the sun is out for much longer and people take vacation so there are fewer people on the roads. In other words, it's much easier to drive safely in the summer and so (if we were to be honest with ourselves) we maybe slack a little in our driving diligence. Oh, and in addition to that, we probably are also thinking about sitting on the beach or doing some much-needed yard work in the beautiful sunshine!

But now we're nearing September and school is starting up again. Children will be going to and from school and additional environmental distractions (like a later sunrise or an earlier sunset and more traffic) will make it harder to drive.

So what does this mean for drivers?

It's simple: When you're driving, slow down a little and keep an eye out for children. It doesn't matter whether or not you're in a school zone. Remember that kids have to walk from their neighbourhood to get to school so there are going to be children everywhere even if a school isn't a block or two away. School zones are good reminders to slow down but there will be children running around, darting in and out of traffic outside of school zones.

And slowing down doesn't just apply to 8:30 and 3:30 (or whenever school lets out in your area). Children who live near school might go home for lunch. Or, children might be late getting to school or going home early.

Don't forget, it's not just children you have to watch out for. Buses stop to pick up or drop off children and parents might also drive to pick up their kids and can stop suddenly.

Back to school means slowing down for drivers. It helps to improve your ability to react if something changes quickly – like if a child runs out between two parked cars or if a parent stops to pick up their kids.

If you are in a collision, Boyd Autobody can help to repair your car and get you safely and quickly back on the road. But you can avoid a lot of back-to-school collisions by slowing down.

Sending your child to college? Make sure they're ready with these essential items

When a parent sends their children off to college, they'll send them on their way with all of the essentials that these students need to live while studying: Clean bedding and towels, laundry soap, and an industrial-sized box of macaroni and cheese.

But what about transportation? If your university-aged child is bringing a car to college, make sure that they will be safe while driving. If I remember back to my college days, the cars of college students were not the safest or most reliable pieces of machinery on the roads. So you might make sure that they have clean underwear but you should also make sure that they can get to and from class safely.

Give them the gift of safety by bringing their car in for a tune-up, oil change, and tire rotation before they leave for school. Chances are, they won't have enough money or time during school to do this themselves so you'll ensure that the car is in good working order before school starts. Consider replacing the tires on their car from those bald balloons to something with a little more traction. After all, you want them to get home safely for Christmas.

Provide them with an emergency roadside kit that contains booster cables, safety markers or pylons, a first aid kit, emergency candles, a blanket and a small shovel. You might also consider springing for some traction mats or kitty litter in case they end up stuck in the snow.

This is also a good time to make sure they know a few fundamentals about the car: For example, do they know how to change a tire? (Hey, why not get them to rotate the tires on your car as practice?). And, do they know the top reasons that a car won't start? And don't forget what happens if they do get into an accident: Do they know what to do? Do they know what information to get from the other driver? And do they know what to do with their damaged car?

As a parent, you want to make sure that your child's university years are safe, fun (and full of learning – of course) and you can do this by making sure that their car is in good shape and that they are ready for anything.

Here's one way to help them: Put a list of important telephone numbers in the glove compartment for them: Do some research and include the names of the police department, tow trucks, your insurance company, a taxi company, and a local Boyd Autobody & Glass collision repair facility so that if they do get into an accident, they'll have all the information at their fingertips.

4 things you'll never see on the road (outside of a Hollywood movie)

Hollywood cranks out a lot of entertaining movies (and even more unentertaining ones). And the most thrilling movies usually have a car chase or three in them. As moviegoers, we love the thrill of seeing a great looking car expertly chase another great looking car through crowded streets, around treacherous turns, over or under obstacles… and usually the good guy (or girl) wins in the end.

As entertaining as this is, it's doing a disservice to the viewing public. It's teaching us the wrong things about safe driving and skilled car handling. Here are the top 4 things you'll see in movies that you'll never see on real roads.

1. Long conversations without looking at the road: Directors and actors love eye contact during a conversation. And that rule of directorship 101 seems to extend to conversations that two characters have in the car. The driver and passengers can drive at high speeds down the street but will face each other for most of the conversation. We never see the driver actually watch the road! Safe driving tip: Don't do that. Safe drivers never take their eyes of the road.
2. Weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds: In every car chase, the heroes and villains of the movie chase each other around through heavy traffic. And on those roads, every car maintains perfect speed and direction (and plenty of space around each vehicle), allowing the main characters to slalom through traffic. But it doesn't really happen that way. Drivers aren't predictable and if we hear guns shooting and see crazy drivers in our mirrors, we are likely to react in panic rather than remain three car-lengths behind the car in front of us. Safe driving tip: Don’t weave through traffic like you're being chased by maniacs intent on taking over the world.
3. Expert handling: Some movies depict car chases on deserted highways but those aren't nearly as riveting for viewers as a car chase through a busy street, filled with cars and pedestrians. But in those scenes, the cars are expertly handled on the streets (and on the sidewalks!) and aside from an overturned apple cart, there isn't a lot of damage. These drivers can drift and slide and skid with ease and have all the room and confidence to do so. But it doesn't really work like that. Safe driving tip: Stay on the road, keep your distance, slow down, and maneuver predictably.
4. No one gets hurt: Most movies will show the villains get hurt and plenty of gun play but all the non-storyline characters (i.e. "man in crowd", "woman with baby", etc.) remain completely unscathed. Even in movies like Speed, when the bus hits the baby carriage, viewers are relieved (but not really surprised) when it's discovered that the carriage is full of cans and not an actual baby. Unfortunately, in the real world, driving like crazy injures innocent bystanders… and baby carriages contain babies. Safe driving tip: Remember that your driving decisions can impact other people.

And there are many more tips that we haven't mentioned! Driving without seatbelts, driving while talking on the phone, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, driving while shooting (DEFINITELY don't do that one), driving through buildings… all of these are commonplace in movies but fool us into thinking that we are safe and in control behind the wheel.

Hollywood movies are fun to watch but we must be extra careful to make sure that we do not adopt the Hollywood driving mindset when we get into the driver's seat.