Driving on icy roads and piles of snow can be dangerous—even for motorists with years of driving experience. But as long as you take the necessary precautions, you don’t have to worry about involuntary sliding.

Here are some highly recommended winter driving tips to avoid motor accidents:

Avoid driving. Funny and fairly obvious, yes—but effective. If the weather is looking rather frightening and you’re not comfortable driving, then stay home and avoid risking your safety and that of other motorists. It’s that simple.

Don’t accelerate. When driving in bad weather conditions, you have to be patient. The quicker you accept that it’s not the time to be in a hurry, the less chances you’ll have of skidding or getting stuck in a snow pile. So to regain traction, press on the gas pedal lightly and accelerate gradually.

Drive below the speed limit. It’s normal for traffic to slow down during a snow storm or on ice-covered streets. Take your time to drive smoothly and steadily, and avoid stopping or turning in an abrupt manner. You’ll find you have more control over your vehicle.

Try not to make full stops. When your car comes to a full-stop, it takes a huge amount of inertia to get it going again, which increases the risk of skidding. You’ll have much less trouble on icy roads if you avoid stopping and keep your wheels rolling—especially if you’re going up a hill. Instead of powering-up, apply the gas and keep your wheels spinning. When going downhill, release the gas and slow down, applying the brakes softly where necessary.

If you haven’t begun to practice yet, register with us and learn to drive safety in any weather condition from our thoughtful instructors!

Everyone has a different pace when it comes to learning how to drive.  There is no set amount of hours for mastering each aspect for your driving test. Some people feel confident with 30 hours of practice while others may take double that time. It’s important to let yourself take as much time as you need and to not compare yourselves to friends, family and peers. Removing comparison will let you focus on what you need to do and complete it as efficiently as possible to the best of your ability. Here is some practical advice to figure out how to schedule driving lessons.

Timing and pace

Firstly, you want to give yourself a good start. Don’t schedule your lessons when you’re tired, overworked or at times that may compromise your driving abilities. Space out your lessons and schedule them intuitively to fit your schedule. Know your best hours in the day and your worst for driving and take these factors into consideration. Some people have a combination of demanding jobs, high workloads at school and other things happening in life – this is all normal and should not compromise your ability to learn!

Practice

Having trouble with a particular aspect of driving? This is your time to delve deep into it to become better at it. Driving lessons should be about practicing your weaknesses and improving them. You might have a skill that will take you 3+ lessons to master. That’s okay, ride it out and conquer it. If you tend to take your time to learn things or you’re finding that throughout the process you need more time, don’t be defeated. This is completely normal. Your best course of action is to schedule extra driving lessons with your instructor or drive with a licensed parent or friend for extra practice.

Are you ready to take the plunge to begin learning to drive? Register with us today to get the process started.

Maybe you’ve come across this post because you’re currently enrolled in our driving school or, maybe, you’re thinking about enrolling into driving school at this moment and we’re part of your search! If it’s the latter, we believe there are key attributes you should look for while looking for a driving school. Where you go to learn can make all the difference to your learning. Here are some things to consider when choosing a driving school.

Location and accessibility

How close are you to the driving school? Is it easy for you to get a ride there and back or to take the bus? Is it located in an area or a facility conducive to learning?

These are all crucial questions to think about as they can impact you or your child’s ability to get to class to be relaxed, focused and ready to learn. In driving school, there are components that are both in-class and out of class in the car that require energy, attention and sheer focus. Plus, once a long day is completed or a challenging lesson is over, it should be easy for you to get back to your home.

Current practices

You want to make sure that your driving school is up-to-date on all the current practices. This means they must have staff and teachers who are certified, who undergo training on a regular basis and use texts and materials that are relevant to changes in driving policies, rules and regulations.

Furthermore, it’s always good to go to a driving school that offers flexible packages to make the most of driver’s education for your upcoming driver’s test.

Learning to drive can be a challenging process but with the right driving school environment behind you, you’ll feel the confidence and drive (pun intended) to pass your test the first time! Get in touch with us today to get the process started.

If you don’t pass your driver’s test the first time, it isn’t the end of the world, don’t worry. In fact, roughly 47.9 % of people pass their driving test the first time. But after all the time, money and effort invested into the first time, why not know exactly what it takes to pass on the first attempt? Here are some tips to maximize those chances to hit the open road.

Sharpen Stops and Go’s

Throughout a driving test, examiners are looking to see how well you can stop and how well you can start moving again. The test is designed to include this many times to assess how safely you can control the car. They will also look at whether you’ve adjusted the appropriate mirrors properly, whether you are in a legal position from the curb and whether you’ve checked your blind spot.

In-car practice

Majority of examiners fail students because they make mistakes at junctions. Have your driving instructor help you practice in high-speed situations so you can sharpen your judgment skills in a real-life situation and develop good clutch control. Furthermore, your instructor will note your weaknesses over the lesson-period. Work on problem areas and mentally prepare yourself for completing them with ease and precision.

Maneuvers

Some maneuvers that make or a break a person’s ability to pass their driving test the first time include turns, reversing around a corner, reverse parallel parking and bay parking. Even if you excel at these aspects, ensure you get lots of exposure to different situations where you’ll use these maneuvers.

Keep Calm

Approach your test with a cool and confident head. There’s less room to make mistakes if you decide to put your energy into the tasks in front of you and keep your nerves in check. If there are too many nerves around a particular aspect of your test, you are more inclined to make mistakes!

Register with us if you or a family member is ready to start the process of learning to drive. Our thoughtful instructors are equipped to safely teach driving skills to the next generation of drivers and we prepare our students to excel on the first attempt of their test. If you have any further questions, contact us today for more information!

Drivers have to share the road with many different people and vehicles—pedestrians, buses, delivery trucks and cyclists. It’s important for drivers to be aware of cyclists in particular when they are on the road, in order to prevent accidents. In fact, recently in the news, it was stated that Toronto is planning to implement new bike lanes in the downtown core as well as in Scarborough. This makes it even more crucial for new drivers to be prepared to safely drive alongside cyclists due to the influx of cyclists to come. Here are some of the most important things to know about bike lanes when driving.

Shared Lanes

Markings on the pavement known as “sharrows” help to keep everyone safe by designating which lanes are for cyclists and which lanes are for drivers. Lanes that have a bicycle icon and two arrows painted on them are shared lanes, which means they are to be used by both cars and bicycles. On wider streets, sharrows are painted to direct motorists and cyclists to ride side-by-side in a single lane. On more narrow streets, sharrows are painted to direct drivers and cyclists to proceed single file.

Bicycle Lanes

Lanes that are painted with a bicycle icon and a diamond are lanes that are exclusively for bicycles. Drivers may not use this lane to drive, stand, stop or park. Blocking a bicycle lane even for a moment is a violation of traffic law.

Contra-Flow Lanes

If you see a yellow line, a bicycle icon and a diamond, it’s a contra-flow lane. Contra-flow lanes allow cyclists to travel in both directions on streets that are one-way for other vehicles. The lane that travels against the flow of traffic is for cyclists only. Cyclists travelling in the direction of traffic ride in a shared, mixed-use lane.

Everyone deserves to get from point A to point B safely, no matter what kind of vehicle they ride. Obeying traffic laws and being cautious on the road is the best way to avoid conflict with cyclists. Contact us at Ambitious Drivers to learn the skills to make you a safe and confident driver.

To keep your car driving smoothly and safely, it’s important that you keep it properly maintained all year round. The high temperatures of summer can present specific challenges for your car, such as damaged batteries, deflated tires, and overworked cooling systems. These summertime car issues can decrease your vehicle’s performance and put your safety at risk. Below are some tips to keep your car in good condition this summer.

Check Your Tires

Many drivers don’t give their tires the attention they need. Under inflated or over inflated tires can lead to serious road accidents. Under inflated tires can cause your tires to pop, while over inflated tires can lead to a loss of control and hydroplaning in wet conditions. Misaligned tires can make steering more difficult to control, which can be very dangerous for new drivers. Rising temperatures can alter your tire pressure, so it’s important to have you tires regularly inspected, inflated and re-aligned.

De-Winterize Your Car

While most drivers recognize the importance of winterizing their vehicles, many forget to give their vehicles a complete and thorough cleaning and repair once the season is over. Removing your winter tires will help you maximize your fuel efficiency. Cleaning the undercarriage of your car after winter will help prevent rust and damage from snow and salt buildups. It’s also important to check all of your fluid levels at the beginning of summer to make sure they’re all full and clean and to ensure there’s no leaks or cracks in any hoses or valves. Keep your car running properly this summer by giving it a full inspection and tune-up after a long, harsh winter.

Besides safe driving habits, the best way to avoid accidents on the road is to make sure our vehicle is in good condition. Summer car maintenance may seem like no big deal, but it’s as important as keeping your car protect during to winter. To learn more about safe driving practices, sign up for our Ministry-Approved driving lesson. Contact us for more information about how we can help you to become a confident and safe driver.

With the warmer season ahead, getting into your car for nature hikes, road trips, music festivals and fun getaways are what you look forward to when you can drive. While the fun times are ahead, having other people in your car regularly will inevitably leave your car in need of a deep cleaning.

Here are some of the best car cleaning tips!

Check your cleaning products

Car interiors can be sensitive to cleaning products. Avoid causing unnecessary wear and tear to your seats and vulnerable parts of the interior of your car. Make sure to do a quick search on the best products to use for your model. Your car manual can give you some insight on maintenance or a quick search on the internet never hurts.

Vacuum on reduced speed

To effectively remove dust and debris, vacuum on a lower speed or toggle the power switch between on and off. This will ensure your vacuum doesn’t blow on full speed which causes the debris to spread everywhere. Instead, you can slowly collect the debris into a pile and remove it easily.

Conquer hard-to-reach cracks

By using a toothbrush and a paintbrush, you can effectively remove debris from crevices, corners and deeper locations. You can use the brush to aid in your vacuuming to clean up the more difficult spots.

Removing sticky materials

For gum, wax and other sticky materials you can use dry ice to freeze the material and gently scrape it off with a paint scraper to avoid damage to your car. Chewing gum remover also exists as an option but you’ll have to purchase it through an auto-detailing company or from a specialty cleaning supply store.

Don’t forget the main spots

Steering wheels, gear shift knobs, the sides of the door and seatbelts are subject to more grime build up than other parts of the car. Make sure they are all cleaned thoroughly and are in working condition.

Daily Check

There have been cases where garbage has gotten stuck under the accelerator or brake pedal, or items like groceries that were forgotten about have rolled out from underneath. This can lead to serious accidents. By doing a daily check between your regular cleaning routine, you can avoid this.

Check out our driving courses and get on the road!

Summer is finally here, which means that road trip season is officially under way. Road trips are great for a young group of friends, or families looking for an affordable and adventurous vacation. Whatever kind of getaway you’re planning this summer, follow these easy tips for a great road trip to avoid any hiccups you might experience along the way.

Have Valid Documentation

It’s important to have all of your information in order before you leave on your road trip. You should have a valid and up-to-date driver’s licence, vehicle registration, and any other relevant documentation on-hand at all times during your road trip. Especially if you’re driving into another country, it’s crucial to have all your legal documentation in order so that you don’t run into any trouble.

Get a Tune-Up

Making sure that your car is in good working condition is essential for any successful road trip. Nothing is more devastating than having your car break down in the middle of the dessert with no mechanic in sight. If you have someone give your car an inspection and tune-up before you leave, you’ll save yourself the stress of an unanticipated disaster.

Bring More Than One Driver

Driving for long periods of time can be exhausting, especially for new drivers who have limited experience on the road. You may not get to enjoy the relaxing aspects of your road trip if you have to play chauffeur for the entire time. More seriously, exhaustion is a big reason for accidents on the road. If you don’t get a break from driving, your concentration may go down and you’re more likely to cause an accident. Have at least two drivers in the car so that you can switch places if one of you gets tired. If you end up being the only driver on your trip, make sure you take many rest breaks to keep your energy up.

Road trips are a great way to spend your summer vacations. Whether you’re driving with friends or family, a road trip is a fun and affordable way to see the sights. If you’ve got the travelling itch this summer but need help learning how to drive, Ambitious Drivers can give you the skills and knowledge you need to get out on the road.

You know that person sitting across from you in the car watching your every move? That person whose job it is to decide whether or not you fit enough as a driver to be legally allowed on the road. That’s your driving instructor, and despite what many young students think, they aren’t scary and mean at heart.

Most students spend so much time worrying that they often make some mistakes that they could have avoided. Here are 3 things your driving instructor wishes you knew when you got in the car.

Driving instructors want you to pass!

Believe it or not, the driving instructor is not against you; in fact, it’s the opposite. They want you to pass! Students tend to get very worried and they focus on not upsetting the instructor. Even to the point of being overly cautious on the road. Our best advice is to relax, not pay much attention to the instructor, and just do your best.

Technique is more important than knowledge

Understanding the rules of the road is important to safe driving, but the technique that you drive with is much more important than the things that you know. Having a good feel for the car, being able to react to other drivers, and adjusting your style to what’s going on in your environment are far more important than knowing how many seconds to leave before merging. Keep calm, pay attention to the road, and worry about other stuff later.

Parking isn’t make or break

Notice how all children’s cartoons and comedy sketches seem to involve a hapless student who can’t park a car worrying about getting their license? For the most part, it reflects reality. A lot of our students here at Ambitious Drivers worry about being able to park, and blow everything way out of proportion. Parking is very important, don’t get us wrong, but not being able to park perfectly isn’t the end of the world. You could easily improve. What instructors care about is your ability to drive a car.

Ambitious Drivers helps prepare drivers for the road test, and our goal is produce the best and safest drivers possible. Before you get into that car, remember these 3 things that your driving instructor wishes you knew, because they might just come in handy. Keep calm and drive safely!

So you’re a novice driver but you’ve managed to convince your parents into letting you take the car out for your first long distance trip. You’re headed to a music festival with your best and trusted friends and you couldn’t be more excited. Aside from making sure you have enough gas in the tank, food, plus all of your belongings, you have had the oil checked, your tires checked for pressure and your fluids are A-OK.
You know how to change a tire in case there is a flat, and how to jumpstart a motor. And you also have some basic things put into place such as your car’s manual, insurance papers and a CAA card should you need emergency services.
But before you’re officially good-to-go, here are some things you should keep in the car in order to be prepared for anything that can happen.
• A spare tire
• A tire jack and tire iron to install the tire (if you don’t have these the tire is rendered useless!)
• Jumper cables
• Tire pressure gauge
• Duct tape – If your mirror melts off, if anything comes out of place, duct tape is great temp. fix)
• WD-40 – it can be used to revive spark plugs, degrease engines, loosen car door handles and hinges when stuck, remove rust and used for a wide variety of maintenance purposes.
• Flashlight (and an extra battery if necessary)
• Emergency food and water (Granola bars, water bottles – anything that will keep for a long time)
• Seatbelt Cutter – if there’s an accident or anything happens where the seatbelt gets jammed, this is an essential item to have that most people don’t think about.
• Flares or reflective gear – if you pull over at night you should be visible to other drivers
• Physical copies of maps – if data signal or phone battery fails you, you should be able to find out where you are.
• First Aid Kit
Sign up for our driving courses today!