Fear of Learning How to Drive

Learning to drive in a calm environment will help to reduce your anxiety. Our classes are fun and engaging. We will teach you the rules of the road before you get behind the wheel. This will help you to feel prepared and confident before you drive. Our Calgary drivers ed classes are fun and engaging. Our Calgary driving courses will teach you the information that you need to overcome your fear of driving. The instructors are friendly and understand your fears. They will encourage you and teach you how to deal with any situation while driving.

Our Top Tips For Success:

• Enroll in a reputable driving school. Learning to drive from an instructor with years of experience will help tremendously. They will teach you everything you need to know and how to deal with situations as they arise.
• Practice. Get out on the road and practice driving. The more that you practice driving, the more comfortable you’ll feel. Start on quiet residential roads and gradually work your way up to busier roads. We recommend that you practice at every opportunity so that driving will begin to feel more natural.
• Breathe deeply and focus on the positive. It’s natural for your breathing to become irregular when you’re anxious. Breathe in deeply through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth. This will help you to feel calm and to be able to focus on driving.
• Plan ahead. Plan your route before you begin driving. This will reduce your stress while driving as you will know the best route to your destination.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t panic if you miss your exit. You can get off at the next exit and turn around. It’s ok if it takes a little longer to get to your destination.

Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving will help you overcome your fear of driving. Our expert instructors have many years of experience. They are friendly, and knowledgeable, and will help you to learn how to drive safely. We also offer courses that will teach you additional driving skills such as defensive driving and winter driving. These extra skills will help you to feel more comfortable driving in challenging conditions. Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving is the driving school Calgary trusts! Call today to learn more.

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We know that life gets busy! It can be hard to find the time to complete the driving course Calgary loves. That’s why we are excited to introduce our new online driving course! This comprehensive course will also help you achieve the classroom hours needed for your class 5 license – without ever leaving the comfort of your home! Our online program has been fully approved by Alberta Transportation as an alternative to the 15-hour-in classroom program. This program is interactive and has activities, games, and information that’s narrated by a speaker. Our online course is supported by our expert instructors. They are available to answer your questions Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Class 5 License

Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving is the largest driving school in Calgary. Our Class 5 beginner driving course will prepare you for your Class 5 road test. It consists of 15 hours of classroom time and 10 hours of driving time. The classroom lessons are held from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. They are split into three 5-hour sessions. There will also be five 2-hour driving lessons that will be held anytime Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. We know that many people who want to take driving lessons in Calgary can’t spend three Saturdays in a classroom. We have created the online course so that you can complete the classroom component whenever it’s convenient for you!

How Does the Online Driving Course Work?

Each module of the online driving course is composed of slides of information. These slides will need to be checked to move forward to the next slides. Additionally, each module also has a final test that summarizes the information that was lectured in the module. As you complete a module, you will complete the test. You must also achieve a minimum score of 80% or higher to pass the course. You will also be given 3 attempts to complete the 15 hours. Click here to learn about the minimum system requirements.

How Do I Register?

To register, you must call Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving to complete the registration over the phone. Once you have registered, you will be emailed a link. This will allow you to register and create an account. Then you must call the office to be given full access to the online course. You will then check in to the online course by entering the correct answers to the security questions that you set up during registration. The contract and record of registration will be printed and submitted to the academy before gaining full access.

Why is Derek Brown’s Driving Academy the best driving school in Calgary, AB? Because we’re passionate about helping people to learn how to drive! Whether you are just starting, need a refresher course, or changing careers and learning to drive a truck, we’re here to help you! Call today to learn more about our online driving course!

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However, anyone who has experienced the benefits of winter tires knows the truth: All season tires, despite the name, are not good enough for all seasons. Most certainly not Calgary’s seasons.

“All season tires” should really be read like this:

“All season* tires (* seasonal flexibility refers to wet and dry seasons, not hot and cold.)”

This is something we tell students a lot at our Calgary driving school. This is because the defining feature of an “all season” tire is the tread patterns, which are designed to prevent hydroplaning on wet roads.

The Hydroplaning Hazard with All Season Tires

Hydroplaning happens when the tire can’t move water through its treads at a high enough volume to maintain contact with the road. This causes the driver to lose control of the vehicle. All season* tires help you keep control of your vehicle by moving water through the treads more efficiently.

But how does this tread design help in cold temperatures?

Answer: It doesn’t… at all.

Basic Science of Cold Weather Driving

The problem with all season* tires in cold weather is that the rubber begins to harden below 7°C. And once the temperature drops to -10°C, the tire material becomes more like a hard plastic than a flexible rubber.

When a vehicle hits a patch of ice in temperatures below -10°C, those all season* tires are not going to have much – if any – traction. Simply put, your vehicle might as well have summer tires.

Even when it comes to driving on snow, the treads in all season tires* are just too thin to maintain traction effectively.

In other words, tires designed for wet weather are simply not good enough for cold weather.

Why Winter Tires Work

Winter tires, on the other hand, are made with a rubber material designed to be more resistant to cold temperatures. When the temperature falls well below zero, they maintain their rubbery flexibility and will not lose nearly as much traction on snow or ice. The distance required to stop the vehicle is reduced dramatically when tires work like they should.

Think about it: When you’re coming towards a busy intersection and need to know accurate braking distance, do you want hardened tires with limited traction? Probably not. This is the situation that all season* tires put you in, and that winter tires save you from.

The Right Rubber + Treads Tailored to Winter = Ultimate Tire Safety

While the material used in winter tires is the most important feature, tread design is important too.

All season* tires have thinner treads that are incapable of tackling thick snow. In contrast, winter tire treads are specifically designed to take on snow and further increase the surface area of the tire’s contact with the snow – increased surface area means more friction, which means better traction.

More advanced winter tires even come with small metal studs embedded into the rubber, providing even more grip to prevent the vehicle from slip-sliding away.

Winter Tires and The Law

The province of Quebec has already made winter tires mandatory between December 15 and March 15. For a very good reason! Just look up videos of winter driving in Quebec and you will see why winter tires are legally required there.

In addition, Alberta and British Columbia have them as a requirement to drive in more mountainous areas. For example, it is illegal to drive the Coquihalla Highway (AKA: Highway 5) in BC without winter tires.

Other provinces are looking at introducing similar legislation, also for very good reasons (think preventing loss of life, serious injuries, and expensive property damage).

Only winter tires are appropriate for Canadian winters – all season* tires don’t cut it!

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From parking on sidewalks and stopping for pedestrians in the pedestrian crosswalk to weaving all over the road in high-speed traffic (and any other example you can think of), it seems like we sometimes commute alongside some fairly erratic drivers.

And that’s not even taking the weather into account!

Bring in some cold and snowy weather, and these erratic drivers become even worse. What was an everyday danger on the road now becomes a veritable hazard.

That driver up ahead who drifted into the middle of 2 lanes while looking at his phone? He’s now in an uncontrolled slide across your path, headed straight into the vehicle driving to your far right. You and every other vehicle nearby are at risk of a serious collision.

HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF WHEN DRIVING ON WINTER ROADS:

1. Know the road conditions.

These days, you don’t even have to step outside – much less be on a road – to know what the road conditions are. There are 2 very good websites you can check to find out what the current road conditions are:

• Alberta Transportation
• AMA

However, if you’re not able to check online then you’ll have to do it the old fashioned way by making a visual assessment of the road and paying close attention to how your car feels and reacts while driving.

Things to pay attention to include how well your car responds to steering adjustments and acceleration/deceleration, whether the vehicles around you are slipping or sliding, and whether your car feels like it has a good grip on the road.

2. Stay alert and focused.

You might not know it yet, but up ahead there’s someone talking on his Bluetooth, rummaging through a donut box with 1 hand while the other is loosely holding the wheel. When his lousy driving inevitably takes a turn for the worse, it will cause a chain reaction that you’ll have only seconds to avoid. This is one reason why you need to always pay attention!

As a Calgary driving school with over 50 years experience training all sorts of drivers, we know that staying alert and focused during the whole time you’re driving isn’t easy. There are hundreds of potential micro-distractions that can divert your attention for the precious few seconds it takes for things to go wrong. And when roads are icy, it’s that much more likely that even a small lapse of focus can lead to big issues.

3. Keep a constant eye out for “that guy”

We all know who “that guy” is. He’s the shmuck who weaves through traffic going 163km/h down Deerfoot Tr., or who’s going 48km in an 80km zone, or who’s stopped only half on the shoulder as he texts his buddy. That guy.

He’s out driving way more often than you think, disrupting traffic and endangering everyone with his blatantly irresponsible driving. Obviously don’t be that guy, but don’t ignore him either.

A good defensive driver is one who doesn’t just spot “that guy”, but who also keeps track of where that guy is and stays a good and safe distance away from him.

4. Keep a safe distance

The rule of thumb is to stay 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you, unless it’s a large commercial vehicle. If you’re behind a large semi or other commercial vehicle, or snow plow or road sander, stay at least 4 seconds behind.

Keep in mind that it can take up to 12 times longer to stop your car on slick winter roads, so use your best judgment when driving in snow and ice (and be sure to use winter tires!) But also keep in mind that a 36 second lag time behind the vehicle in front of you is much better than the delay you will have if you get into a collision.

How do you know you’re staying so many seconds behind?

Find a fixed object like a road sign or tree. Start counting in “Mississippis” (“1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi”) when the rear end of the vehicle in front of you passes this object; stop counting when the front of your vehicle reaches it. Whatever the count comes to is how many seconds behind that vehicle you are.

5. Make sure you stay readily visible

A lot of collisions happen because drivers couldn’t see the other car. Luckily this is an easy mistake with an easy fix!

Use your exterior lights –– your headlights, signal lights, brake lights, running lights. Make sure all these lights are in good working order and use each and every one of them when you should, each and every time.

Also avoid blindspots, both your own and those of other drivers. Consistently check your blindspots to make sure nobody’s lurking somewhere you can’t easily see. Stay out of other peoples’ blindspots by knowing where your own blindspots are located and using these as a reference for avoiding other drivers’ blindspots.

6. Keep your cool

It can be really hard to swallow your frustration and anger when another driver does something illegal, offensive, and/or just plain dumb. But allowing your emotions to influence your driving habits is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

Letting your emotions take the wheel removes your reasoning and objectivity, opening the door for impulsive behaviour and knee-jerk reactions. From there it’s only a matter of time before you’ve driven yourself into a situation you might not be able to get out of very easily (if at all).

It may sound cheesy, but take a couple of big breaths and get your emotions in-check. Taking deep breaths doesn’t just help you relax your muscles; it also makes you more alert and clear-headed by bringing more oxygen into your brain.

7. Take our Defensive Driving Course!

We offer one of Calgary’s best defensive driving courses, designed to fit into your schedule. We even cover defensive driving in the winter. It’s easy, incredibly informative, one-on-one, and actual students have even said it’s fun! Get in touch to learn more.
These tips are relevant throughout the year, but especially when driving in winter conditions. Practice them every time you drive and soon enough they’ll become a habit that could save you, your loved ones, and your fellow drivers from a heap of liability claims and heartache.

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As Canadians, we like to think that we have winter driving mastered. But one look at the accident statistics after a fresh snowfall tells us otherwise. Even for those of us who have attended (or even operate) a driving school, Calgary roads can be treacherous after a fresh snowfall.

For example, this past Christmas Eve saw approx. 4cms (1.5 inches) of snow fall within a 12 hour period of time.[1] The result? Over 300 vehicular accidents throughout Southern Alberta.[2]

With this in mind, we at Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving thought it might be a good idea to write a blog post about driving safely in the winter.

What follows are 6 critical winter driving tips for driving more safely on winter roads.

1. Slow. Down.

While this may seem obvious, many drivers feel that if they have winter tires and all-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive then they don’t have to observe the speed limits… But this is absolutely not the case.

If anything, having your vehicle properly prepared for winter driving makes you even more responsible for driving safely. You are more able to move and stop suddenly than drivers who don’t have these things, and your actions on the road (as with almost anywhere else) have a direct impact on those around you. If you drive like a yahoo because you’ve got good tires and 4×4 capabilities, then those who don’t have those abilities will probably end up colliding with you.

In other words, just because you can stop & turn on an icy dime doesn’t mean the guy behind/beside you can too.

2. Don’t use cruise control.

This actually applies to icy cold winter roads and slick wet summer roads.

As you probably know, cruise control keeps a vehicle going at a constant speed. While this may be great during long road trips, it’s truly horrifying if you’re spinning out of control on a slippery highway road.

But doesn’t it disengage when I hit my brakes?

Ideally, yes. But depending on the road conditions and vehicle you’re driving, the moment you hit your brakes might be the moment where things take a wrong turn.

When driving on slick roads, sometimes the only thing that keeps your car going straight is sheer momentum, not its tires on the road. The moment that momentum is interrupted is when your car starts spinning. Be aware of your car’s traction by regularly monitoring its response to gentle deceleration, which you can only do you’re not using cruise control.

3. Carry an emergency road kit.

Again, this may be stating the obvious. Yet it amazes us how many drivers do not have a simple emergency kit – either store bought or homemade – in their vehicles.

Your kit doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but should include:

A candle, matches, deep canister (like an empty coffee can) to hold the candle, energy bars, a blanket, water, 1^st aid supplies, a flashlight, a snow shovel and brush, jumper cables

4. Use good snow tires.

When it comes to snow tires, not all are created equal. Look for tires that have the “alpine” symbol on them.[3] This symbol looks like a three-peaked mountain with a snowflake in it. This symbol means the tire has been specifically designed for use in snowy conditions and uses a rubber that remains soft and sticky in cold and on ice.

5. Be aware of road and weather conditions.

It’s as simple as checking the road reports before heading out. There are a few very good resources for this, including the AMA website[4] and [5]The Weather Network.

Also trust your gut – if you get the feeling that conditions might not be the best then be prepared by planning an alternate route or, if you can, just not going until conditions improve.

6. Take a brush up winter driving course from our driving school (Calgary) and learn winter driving skills from an experienced instructor.  You’ll be able to handle slippery roads like a pro.

In conclusion…

Using all 6 of these tips will absolutely help you to be a safer winter weather driver, but stay tuned for part 2 of this post with another 5 tips on how to make your winter wonderland driving experiences as safe as possible.

[1] http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?StationID=50430&timeframe=2&Year=2015&Month=12&cmdB1=Go#

[2] http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/over-50-christmas-eve-car-crashes-as-snow-falls-on-calgary

[3] http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safevehicles-safetyfeatures-wintertires-index-468.htm?WT.mc_id=e9ofj

[4] https://www.amaroadreports.ca/

[5] http://www.theweathernetwork.com/roads-and-travel/highway-condition/list

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If you’re Canadian or American, it’s likely you live in a place with mandatory seatbelt laws. That’s actually a great thing! Even a lifesaving thing, according to the statistics. How does it save lives? Well, according to the CDC it increases the seatbelt usage from 80% to 89%. That 9% saves lives, as those people are 50% less likely to die when they get in a crash.

You might think that older people are less likely to wear seatbelts than younger people because they might not have grown up being told to wear one. In fact, the opposite is true. Teenagers are less likely to wear seatbelts. Maybe because teenagers are known to be prone to risky behavior, as a lot of parents and teachers can attest to.

No matter your age, buckling up is a great way to stay safe. Stay tuned for more posts about seatbelts! Increase your chance of surviving a motor vehicle accident by wearing a seatbelt.

If you want to learn to drive safely visit our Calgary driving school, Derek Browns Academy of Driving.

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Seatbelts reached a peak in innovation with the invention of the 3 point seatbelt.  It’s the seatbelt design that is in every modern vehicle.  That’s because it has been proven to be the safest in study after study.  Roger Griswold and Hugh DeHaven invented the 3 point seatbelt in 1955.  Volvo helped perfect the design and put them in their 1959 fleet of vehicles (it’s the dang Swedes again).

The seatbelt has remained largely unchanged to this day.  The only difference is the 3 point seatbelt is now used everywhere.  It used to be that the middle seat would not have a 3 point seatbelt, however this has changed in modern cars.  Similarly, buses have even started installing them for their passengers.

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Maybe an education campaign about backseat seatbelt use would be helpful in the countries that have poor compliance.  Or maybe the law should step in and make it illegal to travel in a vehicle without a seatbelt.

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Driving tests can be really stressful experiences.  Here are some tips to help you get through your driving test and on the road!

First thing to remember is that there’s a written portion to the driver’s test.  Your local registry or DMV have booklets to help you study.  In Alberta, a learner’s license is called a class 7.  You can also go online to the Government of Alberta website for the booklet and practice tests. Remember to not take the written portion of the test lightly, if you fail you’ll often have a waiting period before you can take the test again, and you’ll be out the testing fee.  If you have a friend or parent to help you study, have them quiz you over the rules of the road, so you know that you’re prepared for the test.

Depending on where you live, you’ll usually have to get a learner’s permit or have some sort of driver’s education before you can take the test.  Look on your local DMV’s web site to see what kind of steps are necessary in getting a license.

Next, sign up for a beginners driving course and in-vehicle lessons with an excellent and experienced driving school like Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving.  You’ll learn from experts who know everything you need to know to become a safe and skillful driver and pass your your driving test with ease.

First start with experts, and then practice, practice, practice.  In between classes get extra practice.  Do you have a friend or a family member that is really calm behind the wheel?  Have them teach you how to drive.  People who feel calm and collected on the road and in traffic, will help you stay calm and collected in traffic.

Make sure to practice in all sorts of driving scenarios.  You’ll need to learn how to drive on the highway, freeway, in busy traffic, at night, and in any other scenario you can think of before you’ll be confident on the road.

Remember to practice your parking.  Here, again, it’s good to have a knowledgeable friend or family member help you out.  Do you know someone that pulls into a parking spot perfect every time?  Have them help you learn how to park.

Remember to remain calm about driving.  If you need more practice to be calm and safe on the road, that is perfectly okay.  Do not feel like you have to prove anything on the road.  Driving is for getting from point A to point B safely, that is it.

At a quality Calgary driving school like Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving, we have driving classes, in vehicle and simulator training that will make getting a driver’s license much easier.

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You should always be conscientious of opening your door when you’re exiting onto the street, especially if it is in a bike lane.  Cyclists often get surprised by doors on the street or in bike lanes and cannot avoid hitting them.  So, in order to preserve their bike and person and your car door, always take a look in your mirror and behind you before exiting.  Honestly though, you should really be doing this anyway as to avoid being taken out by a car.

Make sure to think about how you are going to pass a cyclist.  Nobody expects you to drive the whole time behind a cyclists doing 15, but you do have to wait until it’s a good idea to pass.  Ask yourself if there’s enough space, if there’s a stop coming up that will make it so you have to pass the cyclist multiple times, and whether the cyclist is aware of where you are in relation to them.

Just like with pedestrains in a cross walk, try to make eye contact with them so you know that they see you and you see them.  Never assume anything about the cyclist’s knowledge of you and your surroundings.

That said, you’ve probably made assumptions about how cyclists will behave on the road, and cyclists do the same to you.  So do you best to drive predictably to increase the odds that the cyclist will make the right assumption about your driving.

Try to be in the know about your locations laws about driving around cyclists.  If you do get into an accident with a cyclist and found to be at fault, that could lead to a lot more problems in your life.

If you aren’t a cyclist, talk to a cyclist buddy about what it is like to be on the road with cars.  It may give you a new perspective about what it means to share the road.

These are just some of the our driving school’s tips for driving around cyclists.  Always remember to stay safe and viligant on the road.

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