Winter's Almost Here

Driving in Canada means that we are sometimes driving in the worst conditions imaginable... especially in the winter months. During winter, Mother Nature throws a variety of collision-causing conditions at us – icy roads, piles of vision-impairing snow banks, and whiteouts. With winter on its way, it's a good time to pause and remind ourselves how to drive in these conditions rather than wait for that first snowfall and crunch of a collision to jog our memory!

Be prepared. Pack the appropriate gear in your car (like survival gear for longer trips and salt or sand plus a shovel for in the city). If you never need it, great. But the one time you do need it will make it worthwhile.

Don't let a lack of snow fool you. In my early driving days, I drove cautiously when there was snow but less cautiously when there wasn't. Until I discovered that the late fall/early winter dew covering the roads can freeze a street into a skating rink. There may not have been snow but there wasn't any traction, either!

Winter driving requires extra time. Plan to leave an extra 15 or 20 minutes early whenever you drive. You'll need a couple of minutes to brush the snow off the car and the roads will require a little extra care when navigating.

Be extra careful at intersections. Intersections are extremely dangerous in the winter! Leading up to the intersection, the roads become polished from constant braking so they can be extra slippery. As well, snow banks can block your vision… and they can keep other drivers from seeing the stop sign! Brake early when approaching an intersection, assume that other drivers aren't going to be able to stop on time, and edge out slowly when snow banks keep you from seeing clearly around corners.

Remember that it is slippery out! This might be a "no brainer" to you, but even the most careful drivers need to remember that other drivers are less careful. Therefore, even if you are making sure you've given enough space between you and the car in front of you, make sure that you have an escape route just in case the car behind you seems to be slipping out of control.

Watch out for the hidden danger. One of the most underrated dangers on winter roads is the light… or lack thereof. In the winter, it gets light very late in the morning and it gets dark much earlier in the evening. Those dawn/dusk hours are hard to drive in because our eyeballs cannot keep pace with the changing light fast enough. On the other hand, driving during the day can be absolutely dazzling when the sun glints off the snow.
Driving in the winter can be difficult even at the best of times. But if you are prepared and cautious, you can navigate our Canadian winter roads safely.

If a collision does occur, remember to be extra cautious! Other drivers who might drive around the crash site could slip and slide themselves.

And, if you find yourself in a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We're the Canadian car repair experts. We know how important it is to get your car repaired and back on the winter roads quickly and safely.

Winter is approaching – are you ready?

We've enjoyed a beautiful summer here in Canada, and the fall has been pretty good as well. But it won't be long before the first few flakes of snow start to fall and we find ourselves in a winter wonderland. Are you ready for winter?

Make sure your car is ready for winter: You'll need to check your tires so that you're running (at least) all-season tires. Make sure your washer-fluid can handle our bitterly cold temperatures. You'll definitely want a brush and ice scraper, and you'll probably want something to help you dig out if an unexpected blizzard comes up. Don't forget the plug-in for the block heater!

But that's not the only thing you'll need to get ready. Are YOU ready to face winter? Are you ready to drive safely through the ice and sleet and snow? Here are some winter driving tips to keep in mind:

• Slow down. Yes, we write this a lot… but we're serious about it. Drive slower than you do in the summer. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go.
• Brush off the car before you get in. Scrape the windows in their entirety. Don't forget to brush off your brake lights and your front and back signal lights.
• When snow drifts banks build up on the side of the road, edge out carefully and slowly.
• Don't follow too closely because stopping distance is very, very long (and particularly icy near intersections).
• Remember that snow and ice can hinder your ability to steer. You may desire to steer in one direction but momentum and ice will take you in another direction.
• Refresh your skills to handle what happens when you skid on the ice.
• Let your car warm up a little before you start to drive, just to make sure that it is responsive to you (in case you need to steer defensively).
• Don't drive in bad weather. If the weather gets bad, stay off the roads. (Remember: YOU might be the best driver out there but there are millions of others who aren't… and they can all skid into your car).
• If your car is starting to frost up, pull over and let it defrost before you keep driving.
• Keep an eye out for animals. Just because some of them are hibernating doesn't mean that they all are.
• People are harder to see in the winter (they might leap out from behind a snow bank, for example) and when they are all bound up with toques and scarves, they might not hear your car approaching.

The message here shouldn't be a surprise – Be Cautious! Drive carefully and watchfully and sensibly.
If you get into a collision this winter, get your car over to one of our auto body repair centres. We'll take good care of your car and get it fixed up and back to you in no time at all.

Safe driving means knowing your options

You're driving down the street toward an intersection. The light turns yellow. You are going at a speed where you could go right through but the car in front of you gets spooked and slams on their brakes. What do you do?

There are a lot of options in this scenario and most people would automatically choose to lock up their brakes and hope for the best. Sometimes that solution works out and sometimes it results in a collision.

But there are probably other options. For example, perhaps there is another lane to steer into (such as a turning lane) to give yourself more distance to stop. Or maybe steering toward the curb is a better option, especially if there is a parking lane. Or maybe given the choice between hitting a car with people in it and a car without people in it, you choose the one that will potentially cause less injury.

Obviously, in the split second you have to decide these options, it's hard to weigh all of the factors and conclude on the best course of action, which is why most people just slam on their brakes and hope for the best. But there might be a better course of action and all it takes is just a little forethought.

As you drive, anticipate the actions of other drivers and decide what you would do in those situations. Ask yourself, "what would happen if the car in front of me stopped suddenly?" or "what would I do if a child ran out in front of my car?"

For every situation, try to come up with two to four contingencies and weigh the consequences of each one – Who could be hurt? What would the ramifications be?

These might sound like morbid thoughts but here's what's going on inside your brain when you ask yourself these questions: You are training yourself to consider the contingencies. You are examining the theoretical possibilities and determining the best course of action.

Safe driving isn't the only place where this kind of theoretical contingency-planning happens. Our suggestion was inspired by "the case study method" of learning, which is a type of study used by the best business schools to teach their students how to apply concepts in real world situations.

So apply the case study method to your driving and train yourself to identify contingencies as you drive.
This won't eliminate every potential collision – some collisions are unavoidable even if you are in complete control of your vehicle – but you'll be surprised at how much more of a safer driver you'll become as you become aware of the road around you.

If you do get into a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass. Our conveniently located repair centres are staffed with friendly collision repair experts who can help to restore your car and get you on your way.

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.