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b1ec0n0mist suntribune december 3 1986 accidentfree drivin defensive driving skills a must by greg coates if current accident rates con- business editor tinue one out of every two cana- last year 200000 people were dians will be involved in a fatal or injured and more than 4000 killed injuryproducing accident in their in occidents on canadas roads lifetime and highways traffic fatalities are the lead ing cause of death for canadians under the age of 34 sixty per cent of all new driv ers in ontario get little or no pro fessional driver training drivers aged 15 to 24 account for more than 25 per cent of all drivers killed in canada each year half of all traffic accidents occur with 40 kms of the victims economist and sun business editor greg coates scans traffic during a recent driving test with markhams dave baker classroom instructor bill lanning for young drivers of canada this is national safe driving week in canada home and at speeds of60kmhror less traffic injuries and fatalities cost the nation an estimated 25 billion annually federal government statis tics show that 85 per cent of all traffic accidents are caused by human error with driver inatten tion being the leading cause also included are poor judgement in emergencies breach of traffic- laws failure to adjust to weather conditions and wilful neglect of mechanical problems while many of these statistics are alarming they are still fact and must be considered by all drivers this is national safe driving week in canada and good time to review those driving habits dave baker of markham is a classroom supervisor with young drivers of canada and teaches accidentfree driving using your mind and eyes describing a collision as two vehicles attempting to occupy one space mr baker said the key to safe driving is driving alone you want space and you want visibility i call it driving alone he said adding that traffic moves in clusters the rest of traffic is not an obstacle just part of the stream youre part of mr baker said driving alone allows you to control your space and if someone does enter its at your discretion you know they are there and you let them enter he said youre not totally at the mercy of other drivers you have some control over what the traffic does to you taught rules only he explained that when most people learn to drive theyre taught the rules of the road and how to operate their vehicle ev erything else they learn from ex perience thats why you have insur ance they expect you to go out and hit someone said mr baker the whole concept is to adapt to a constantly changing traffic environment he added what im talking about is aggressively pursuing space the young drivers of canada approach to accidentfree driving is to follow these five basic habits look well ahead maintain a minimum eye lead time of eight to 12 seconds maintain a safe fol lowing distance of two to three seconds your eyes must always lead your wheels and respond to hazards properly move your eyes move your eyes every two seconds check rear view mirrors every five to eight seconds scan steering wheels of parked cars use the ground viewing habit and sweep intersections with your eyes left centre and right look around spot the problems look for problems 360 degrees around yourcar spot conflicts from vehi cles pedestrians road condi tions avoid blind spots react to problems by moving into avail able space use the lane of least resistance and ignore the unim portant keep space maintain a space cushion around your car avoid being boxed in cover the brake scan left centre right and create space use the point of no return never block an intersection and when stopped in line leave a mini mum of a half car length in front be seen communicate with other drivers and pedestrians with horn and signals get eye to eye contact and keep your lights on at all times mr baker stressed that looking far enough ahead is one of the most important aspects of acci dentfree driving you should look at least a block and a half ahead he said its the only way to effect a plan of defense v- miswsm9mn w v 85 rivin we wish to thank these community minded organizations for their support lloyd britfon auto sales ltd hwy 47 stouffville bus 6403400 bus 6403404 please dont drink drive whitchurchstouffville fire department please be aware that stouffville is a volunteer fire department area please watch for firefighters responding to fire alarms with their uff lights on als0p insurance brokers inc 83 main st w stouffville special rates for nondrinkers 6403202 were the driver training professionals everyone is tatklngabout young drivers of canada is more than just a way to save on insurance pre miums its a complete defensive driver training course that teaches how to sur vive accidents by avoiding them private incar instruction certificates issued for maximum insurance dis counts j young drivers of canada call now 4495480 over 200000 graduates across canada budget towing service ltd 24 hour emergency service drive carefully over this holiday season phone 2942422 from york regional police force community services bureau with acknowledgement to the ministry of transport and communications be a defensive driver its easier to stay out of trouble than it is to get out you should always be ready to take evasive action if the other drivers around you do something unexpected to be a defensive driver all you have to do is know and obey all laws relating to traffic and take into account road weather and traffic conditions while driving for the safety of yourself and your passengers buckleup keep your eyes open and be alert for the mistakes of others and you must concentrate on your job of driving at all times slow down remember speed kills keep your distance dont tailgate if you drink dont drive think seriously of the consequences of impaired driving drive with your headlights on and be seen winter driving calls for extra care extra smooth precise steering gentle acceleration and gradual application of the brakes always use your low beam headlights in blowing snow high beam lights just reflect off the snow flakes paint booyfl specialist unionvihe auto body collision ltd complete collision service safe holiday driving 7605 woodbine ave unit 15 unionville ont l3r 2n4 chris 416 4776720 heritage auto collision deb punit phone 4716214 vets taxi 6406401 ifvon drink dont drive call a taxi quality workmanship car and truck repairs 20 heritage road unit 8 markham ont l3p3p3 g ccmjyrn safe holiday driving 8 laidlaw blvd unit 6 markham ontario l3p 1w6 tel 416 2945494 t0uffville riving ch00l pick up service special attention for the nervous and elderly automatic dual controlled experienced professional instructor 6403742 srouf markham fire department please be aware of emergency vehicles 4771111 mariorille toyota 222 wellington street west hwy 7 east of markville centre m crxnic petro canada dont drink and drive petro canada car wash highway 7 unionville supreme collision centre dont drink drive 4722 steeles ave e milliken ontario l0h 1k0 telephone 416 4774437 2948700 please drive safely over holiday season home of the professionals your full service toyota dealer sales leasing service parts body shop jigsaw collision ltd we make the pieces fir est 1975 correct collision correction first time every time estimates towing rental cars hwy 48 1 mile south of ballantrae 6405860 jigsaw i z collision i 1 rinowooo gorwley 1 markham markview collision centre inc complete paint and collision be a defensive driver 2948546 hwy 48 north rrj2 markham dont drink and drivel call michael or cindy 2949904 6 heritage rd markham