11 ways you can help make Ontario’s roads the safest in North America

Being a responsible driver takes a combination of skill and knowledge, and more importantly, a good driving attitude. In this post, we list 11 tips here for drivers in Ontario that help to make Ontario’s roads the safest in North America.

• Do not drink and drive, and avoid driving when you are tired, sick, or emotional. In addition, pay attention if you are taking medication, make sure it will not affect your driving.

• Plan ahead for your trip and check the weather. Check out Ontario 511 before you hit the road, this pre-trip planning tool lets drivers know about traffic events and weather forecasts that may impact their travel on provincial highways.

• Use your best judgement if driving in the bad weather cannot be avoided. Make sure to obey the speed limits and traffic rules. Slow down or find a safe place to pull off when the weather conditions worsen.

• Always be prepared for the unexpected. It’s a good ideal to have your phone charged before your trip. Prepare emergency supplies such as water, non-perishable food, first aid kit, warm clothes or a blanket, flashlight, jumper cables, shovel and traction mats.

• Check your vehicle and change your tires before winter. It’s important to get your vehicle winter-ready with a maintenance check-up in Ontario. Make sure you add washer fluid that’s effective to -40^oC and carry an ice scraper. 

• Do not take risks. Don’t make sudden lane changes or run through yellow lights. Don’t cut people off in traffic, if you are in doubt, just let the other driver go first.

• Slow down and allow at least a two-second space between you and other vehicles. Most collisions occur because drivers are going too fast for road conditions and don’t give extra space between other vehicles. To check if you have enough distance, just start counting when the vehicle ahead of you passes a fixed object, then stop counting when your vehicle reaches the same spot.

• Stay alert and in good control while driving. Cut off the distractions and keep focus on your driving, don’t play loud music and put away your phone.

• Avoid hard braking, quick acceleration, and abrupt gear changes in slippery conditions. Steer and brake gently on snowy or icy pavement, be careful not to over steer.

• Watch for snowplows. Slow down when you near working snowplows, be patient and share the road with them, they will pull off once they reach the end of the route. Do not pass them since it’s very dangerous, crowding into the lane of on-coming traffic can result in head-on collisions.

• Always driving with caution. Be aware of your surroundings, slow down and check traffic in all directions before entering an intersection. Be aware of blind spots and check it before you change lanes.

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