5 safe driving tips for your car

It has happened very often that at night there will be one car/SUV/truck cruising around without their lights on. This situation puts not just them but others at risk too. Transport Canada calls these “phantom vehicles,” and have tried to solve this issue by bringing in new manufacturing standards for them which was implemented in September 2021. New vehicles are now required to be more visible in low-light conditions by having one of three features: – Daytime running lights and tail lights that come on when the vehicle instrument panel is illuminated and the vehicle is in operation. – Headlights, tail lights and side marker lights that automatically turn on in low-light conditions. – A driver’s instrument panel that stays dark so the driver knows to turn on all the lights. This still only applies to new vehicles and hence one way to ensure safety is to check your lights every time you sit in the car no matter what even if you are driving a brand new car.

We see a lot of times people changing lanes, turning or merging into lanes without signalling. And unlike the exterior lights that may or may not depend on automatic setting, the sole responsibility to signal falls on the person behind the wheel. Take this into account that no one on the road is a mind reader and give a quick signal even if you are changing lanes inside the city and not just the highway. And while you’re at it, don’t forget that using your signals doesn’t mean you can change the lane at will. It only means that you are letting others know what you intend to do and give them time to react accordingly. Also make sure that you look everywhere before merging, especially your blind spots.

Tailgating someone is driving very close behind their vehicle. Oftentimes seen on highways when someone wants to drive faster but the person ahead of them is driving slower. What if the person in front brakes suddenly, it will give the car behind no room to make a safe stop. It is very dangerous, dumb, and highly illegal. So when you are on the highway next time, remember this and if you want to overtake someone, do it safely, following all the rules properly.

It seems like such an easy thing to do, to not use your phone or other mobile devices that can be a distraction, yet the number of people using their cell phone behind the wheel have increased quite a lot. While some places have more strict laws than others, there isn’t a single jurisdiction in Canada where you can use your phone while driving. It can get you fines, demerit points and is incredibly dangerous. A lot of accidents and vehicle fatalities that happen every year are because of distracting mobile devices and one of the safest way to drive is to not use phones at all.

We’ve all seen it countless times. A sign warns of a lane closure ahead and you feel you have to merge immediately. When there is a lane closure up ahead, it might seem right to shift over as soon as possible. Countless studies have shown that the best course of action is to wait in your current lane until the end where vehicles alternate merging their way into the non-closed lane one after another. This helps alleviate the pressure of the bottleneck and promotes safe and efficient driving. It also speeds up overall traffic flow considerably!