In Canada and Calgary, most people drive. That’s part of why our work at Calgary driving school, Derek Brown’s Academy, is important. While many people take part in this daily routine, there are several driving myths that persist regarding various aspects of driving. These misconceptions, if left unaddressed, can contribute to unsafe practices on the road. We will explore some of the most common misconceptions about driving and seek to dispel them in an effort to promote safer and more informed behaviors on the road.

Driving Myths

One prevalent misconception is that once a driver has obtained their license, they are fully equipped with all the skills and knowledge necessary for a lifetime of safe driving. In reality, driving is a dynamic activity, and road conditions, traffic laws, and vehicle technologies are subject to change. Ongoing education, like our defensive driving course, and awareness are essential for drivers to stay informed about new regulations, advancements in automotive safety features, and best practices for navigating the road. A commitment to continuous learning can help dispel the illusion of invincibility that some drivers may develop over time.

Another commonly held misconception is that multitasking while driving is manageable and harmless. With the advent of smartphones and other portable devices, the temptation to engage in activities such as texting, talking on the phone, or using social media while driving has increased. However, studies consistently show that distracted driving is a leading cause of accidents. The human brain is not designed to perform multiple complex tasks simultaneously, and attempting to do so while behind the wheel compromises reaction time and overall attentiveness. Dispelling this misconception requires a cultural shift towards prioritizing the undivided attention of drivers on the road.

Speed Limits are Important

There is also a prevailing belief that speed limits are arbitrary and that exceeding them is a victimless violation. Speed limits are carefully established based on considerations of road design, traffic flow, and safety. Calgary establishes certain speed limits in order to keep everyone, especially children, safe. Excessive speed reduces a driver’s ability to react to unexpected situations, increases stopping distances, and exacerbates the severity of accidents. Dispelling the misconception around speed limits involves recognizing them as critical safety measures rather than as inconvenient restrictions. Adhering to posted speed limits contributes significantly to overall road safety.

Furthermore, some drivers believe that they are impervious to the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This misconception can have severe consequences, as impaired driving is a leading cause of accidents and fatalities. Dispelling this belief involves not only understanding the legal ramifications but also acknowledging the potential harm that impaired driving can inflict on oneself and others. Education campaigns, stringent law enforcement, and community initiatives are crucial in challenging this dangerous misconception.

Parking Myths

Parking-related misconceptions are also common. Many drivers believe that parking in a designated handicapped spot for a short duration is acceptable, especially if they do not observe anyone in immediate need. However, handicapped parking spaces are reserved for individuals with specific needs, and occupying them without authorization is not only inconsiderate but also illegal. Dispelling this misconception involves fostering empathy and understanding for those with disabilities and recognizing the importance of accessible parking spaces in ensuring equal opportunities for all.

Dispelling common myths about driving is essential for fostering a culture of safety on the road. Education, awareness campaigns, and changes in societal attitudes are all crucial elements in challenging these misconceptions. Driving is a dynamic and evolving activity that requires continuous learning, acknowledging the dangers of distracted and impaired driving, respecting speed limits, and recognizing the significance of parking regulations. A better understanding of driving can contribute to creating a safer and more responsible driving environment for everyone.

Derek Brown’s offers courses whether you are just learning to drive or needing a brush up. Visit our home page for more information about the best driving school Calgary has to offer, Derek Brown’s.

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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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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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Most people seldom rage against the actual road. Usually it is other drivers, the police, construction work; and, occasionally, back-seat drivers that make us glower with rage.

Indeed, there are roads that induce rage. A typical example is Calgary’s Blackfoot Trail where it merges with Deerfoot Trail. Where else in the world is it necessary to post signs reading: All Drivers Have Equal Right to the Road; Get Ready to Merge; Leave a Space for Cars to Merge, etc. But these are directed primarily at discourteous drivers refusing to make room for merging traffic, not the road itself. Yes, these trails could have been better designed, but that’s the government’s fault, isn’t it. But, if you let yourself stew over bad government you’ll be in a rage 24/7.

The best thing to do is to deal with rage before it occurs. When you get into your car think for a moment about what could happen as you drive. Someone is likely to cut you off; you may cut someone else off when you almost miss your exit; you could receive a at single finger salute; and, you might be tempted to give one yourself. Decide that you are not going to respond in kind and, more important, that you won’t initiate the action. Be calm, relax and drive accepting whatever happens as part of life on the road.

You will arrive cool and collected perhaps able to have a chuckle over what fools some people are.

Another way to prevent road rage is to go to a driving school and learn how to deal calmly with all driving situations.

Derek Brown’s Academy of Driving is a Calgary Driving School.

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If you’d like more help learning how to parallel park and learning how to drive, check out our driving school.

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Parallel parking was once the prime fear of every driving test victim. Not any more. What with power steering, automatic transmission, rearview cameras, ever greater efficiency of car design, and a greater number of parking lots, it is more easily accomplished and less often used by today’s drivers. Nonetheless it remains a skill well worth acquiring.

It seems counter intuitive but the easiest, most efficient and safest method is to begin by backing into the selected space. Nosing in requires a lot more backing and filling accompanied by head twisting, shifting and, usually, a lot of cussing. Remember people are watching and laughing.

So, here it is. Pull up exactly parallel to the car parked in front of your selected space; shift into reverse; place your right arm along the top of the seatback (no rear view mirrors!); look directly back through the rear window and ease your car back into the space making sure you don’t hit the curb or the car parked behind you. Next, shift into drive, crank the steering wheel toward the curb and ease forward remembering to keep an an eye out in both directions. There you are, easy and done. Remember speeds greatest enemy is haste. Take it slow and you’ll finish faster and safer.

Okay, so nobody has been injured or killed parallel parking. (At least it’s rare enough to be ignored here.) However a dinked bumper can cost more than $1,000 and you are responsible for all cars damaged. That can result in a heart attack or stroke and not a little embarrassment.

Want to improve your parallel parking or other driving skills? Derek Brown’s Driving Academy can help. Take a course or in-vehicle lesson.

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1. If roads are really icy or snow-covered don’t go out unless you really have to.

2. Slow down.

3. Don’t tailgate.

4. Don’t brake on curves.

Now watch it yourself.

If you would like to learn how to drive on snow or practice driving on snow with an expert, visit our driving school.

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Essential for safety, turn signals have practical uses as well. They tell other drivers and pedestrians what you intend to do. On the highway your life may depend on them. On city streets their blinking helps keep traffic moving efficiently while preventing accidents. In parking lots it alerts people you are backing out of a space or going in perhaps preventing fender benders and loud embarrassing arguments.

That’s right, parking lots. When was the last time you used your turn signals in a parking lot? Never? Well, think about it. Wouldn’t you appreciate knowing what other cars are going to do while creeping along looking for an open space? When you spot a blinking signal up the line you a space is gone or one is opening up. It’s time for a sigh of relief or or a mild curse.

Most important, remember to put those turn signals blinking when changing lanes while speeding along a freeway or busy through street. The number one cause of road rage is cutting someone off by failing to signal a lane change. More to the point it is the number one cause of accidents and at 110 kph or 80 kph on a city through-way it is an excellent way to die.

Safe driving means staying safe, staying alive, not having accident.  Derek Brown’s Driving Academy can help you stay safe.

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