Young Drivers of Canada have released their 10 tips for safe summer driving. With long weekends and road trips it’s always a good ideo to play it safe on the roads. Be prepared for the worst and always drive safely. These tips should help you get through your summer (and any other time you are on the road) a little better.

1. Practice Preventative Maintenance - check your tire pressure and oil levels often. If need be get a summer maintenance check to make sure everything is up to par.
2. Buckle Up - this one is a no brainer. This should be done any season and antime you are in a vehicle. Buckling up should be something that you do without thought.
3. Plan Your Route - Know which way you are going, how long it will take and possible alternate routes. There are many online map site sthat will help you plan your route. Avoid reading a map while you are driving. There are abundant number of GPS devices available today also that can help you with your trip.
4. Travel Well With Children - again make sure they are buckled in. But also make sure that they have something to do so that they are not disctracting the driver.
5. Traffic Flow - this tip of theirs is very good … “Let’s face it, if everyone treated other drivers as they would like to be treated there would be a lot less problems. When a driver is entering a freeway as you are approaching in the right lane why not change lanes to the left. When a transport truck is close behind you in the middle of 3 lanes why not change lanes to the right. Remember this is the truck’s passing lane.”
6. Wet Roads - know what you can handle when the roads are wet or when it is raining. Slow down and be aware of the cars around you. “If the water is deep enough, the grooves shallow enough and the tire pressure low enough, the tire will lose all contact with the road and glide along on top of a layer of water. This is called hydroplaning or aquaplaning. While the vehicle is hydroplaning it is impossible to brake, accelerate or steer. Reducing speed in advance will allow for more control.” Here is some more information on Traction Driving and it’s definition.
7. Be Aware of Velocitization - “When we accelerate from 50km/h in the city to 100km/h on the freeway, it initially feels like we’re going very fast. After a few minutes, it feels normal. This is velocitization.” Be aware of ramp speeds as when exiting a highway you may feel like you are going slow enough but your actual speed may be too much. Again know what your car handle and what you can handle.
8. Following Distance- “At city speeds, in good weather, the minimum safe following distance is 2 seconds and should be increased to 3 seconds on highways/freeways. The way to measure your following distance is to choose a point of reference ahead such as a building or post. When the vehicle in front passes that point, begin to count – one thousand and one, one thousand and two, etc. Your vehicle should not pass your point of reference until you reach the appropriate count. This gives you enough time to see, react and stop your vehicle safely.”
9. Changing Lanes - Young Drivers of Canada give a nice way on how to chnage lanes properly: “While changing lanes is a very simple task, it produces thousands of collisions each year. The problem is that we cannot see all the potential problems through our mirrors alone. The proper lane change steps are: check the inside mirror to locate a space, signal, look at the side mirror on the way to checking the blind spot and then look ahead into your new lane before drifting over. A final inside mirror check once the change is completed will help ensure safe spacing behind you.” Here are some more tips on Checking Your Blind Spots.
10. Stay Awake - Another no brainer. Staying awake will help you arrive safely. When tired, your reaction time is reduced and awareness is decreased. If you are tired pull over and rest.

For more information and tips visit www.yd.com.