Writing Samples

Driving School Part 1
Take driving seriously, anticipate hazards
By Kevin Dowler Times Herald Staff Writer

‘Don’t panic’

Those two words that appear on the cover of the intergalactic best seller ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ also apply to driving.

The way to avoid panic is to take driving seriously and anticipate hazards, says professional driver Andy Field.

“Most of these people are thinking about getting to a destination, they aren’t driving,” Field said during a driving tour of Moose Jaw.

A girl putting on makeup at a stoplight was a prime example.

“Driving is a serious thing. People kill other people when they are driving,” he said.

The most common offence he noticed was the lack of signal light use.

“You have to use signals in advance, not when you decide to turn,” he added.
Moose Jaw’s main roads are wide and clear, which is good for drivers, he says.

“You can see a long way down the road so you can anticipate what’s coming up.”

But wide, open streets can also cause problems. Drivers can become too relaxed and begin to speed along the street without paying enough attention to hazards such as pedestrians. Field’s own preference is “as soon as they put their foot on the pavement, stop and let them cross.”

At too many intersections it is difficult to find street signs often because they’re missing altogether. Secondly, as an unfamiliar driver, he was left switching lanes at the last minute because of poorly marked turning lanes at intersections.

“That can be really bad for out of town drivers and lead to accidents.”

While driving along Hall Street W. a slow moving car pulled into its lane without using signal lights then pulled into a parking stall two cars from where it started.

“Without signal lights, I have no idea of what that guy is doing. Only by looking ahead to anticipate what is coming can you be prepared for drivers like that.

"Another hazard is drivers doing something else while driving their car, such as reaching down to pick up a cassette or searching for a road map."

It’s these actions that put drivers in emergency situations.

“Most drivers have a tendency to lock up the brake and once they find no control of the car they panic and lock their eyes on the obstacle until they hit it,” he said.

What the course teaches is “threshold braking” where the brakes are firmly applied but not allowed to lock up. Once the brakes are locked the car steering doesn’t work, since the wheels have lost their traction.

“It takes practice but it’s something we want people to learn how to do and it may save someone’s life.

“Even the most nervous drivers after a few tries can get used to it,” he said.