Driver Safety Education Blog

Well, certainly winter is here. Lots of snow and slippery roads. The side roads are interesting to drive on.

It's been two days of snow falling and no Edmonton city plows in sight on the main traffic routes. Sand/salt trucks from time to time at major intersections and hills only. Side roads, other than bus routes, never get plowed.

So for you new young drivers with little or no experience driving on streets with little or no plowing and the snow mushed down to a slippery road cover, listen up.

Do not tailgate! Leave lots of room between you and the vehicle in front of you.
If someone is tailgating you, ignore them. Don't speed up.
Go slower in winter road conditions than you would normally on dry roads.
Test the road surface from time to time by applying the brakes. If it is slippery, your stopping distance is quite a bit more.
Be aware of the yahoos who think they can drive better than you in their 4x4 or 4WD SUV. They can't. They usually are the cause of collisions. (Check the news and see how many vehicles involved in collisions are trucks and SUVs.)
Be aware of vehicles entering your road from side streets. They will need more time to get up to driving speed than usual.
Leave lots of time to get to where you are going. Rushing will probably get you into a snowbank or other vehicle.

Remember: drive to road and weather conditions.

Pat Attention: unexpected surprises by other drivers may be coming your way!

That's all for now.

Have a safe driving Christmas!

Cheers - Mike