Check your engine oil regularly, as driving with very low oil level can cause engine problems. Remember – taking the time to do some basic maintenance tests on your vehicle will reduce your driving costs in the long run.

Here are a few handy tips on how to change a car’s engine oil:

• Park your vehicle on a level ground and apply the parking brake.
• Stop the engine and open the hood. Wait for a minute or two to let the engine oil drain into the oil pan, otherwise known as the sump.
• Locate and pull out the engine oil dipstick. If you are not sure where it is located, just check your owner’s manual.
• Wipe the dipstick off with a cloth and then insert it back fully into the dipstick tube. Pull it out again and check the oil level.
• The oil level should be between the minimum and maximum marks at the bottom of the dipstick and you should also check the oil condition. If it appears too black, it is definitely time to change it. If it is brown, but still clean and transparent, it is OK.
• If the oil looks clean but the level is low, you can just top it up – but make sure you use the correct specification.

How to top up engine oil:

• Add a little amount of oil into the oil filler neck. Wait for a minute to let oil flow into the oil pan. Check the oil level again with the dipstick. If it’s still low, add some more but do not overfill it.
• Don’t forget to install the dipstick and refit the oil filler cap when you’re finished.

Ambitious Drivers driving courses give equal importance to theoretical and practical training. Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500

Research shows that 20 percent of middle school students and 28 percent of high school students who don’t drive likely won’t drive without wearing a seatbelt.

“It is critically important that parents set the example they wish their children to follow. Parents should not be afraid to establish expectations for their young drivers, discuss those expectations frequently, and ensure they are being met,” said Stephen Wallace, SADD chairman.

Research from Liberty Mutual and SADD shows that parents who regularly communicate with their teenaged children about expected behaviours behind the wheel make a positive influence on their children’s decision-making.

Parental involvement (or lack thereof) may explain the discrepancy between how teens perceive themselves as drivers and how they actually behave on the road.

Ambitious Drivers driving courses give equal importance to theoretical and practical training. Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500

Regardless of the type of vehicle you drive, late fall is the perfect time to get your car tuned up for the winter months. Ambitious Drivers recommends that motorists – or their mechanics – thoroughly inspect and update the following vehicle components in preparation for winter.
Following these tips will help prepare you and your vehicle to deal with the most frightful of weather:

– A functional and well-maintained battery is vital in very cold weather. Make sure your battery’s terminals and cables are securely attached and free from corrosion. Replace the battery at the end of the manufacturer’s warranty (usually about 5 years).
– Make sure your tires are properly inflated and have proper air pressure. Tires that aren’t completely and properly inflated have less traction on slippery roads.
– Make sure your tires are in good shape. Look for tire damage and excessive or uneven tread wear. Tires should have at least 1/8 inch of tread depth for best traction.
– Rotate tires every 5,500 to 7,500 miles, and replace damaged or worn tires.
– Make sure that the cooling system has enough antifreeze.
– Make sure that the windshield wipers are in good shape, and that the windshield wiper fluid reserve is filled.
– Check the status of ignition system, thermostat, headlights, hazard lights, exhaust system, heater, brakes, defroster, and engine oil level. If you see anything out of the ordinary, take your car to a trustworthy mechanic.
– Make sure that your ice/snow scrapers and brushes are in good condition. Replace them if they are worn out.

Ambitious Drivers driving courses give equal importance to theoretical and practical training. Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500

Winter driving can offer virtually all the unpleasantness that a novice driver can imagine. Although you may think that brushing snow off a car parked outside in freezing weather may be the worst thing that could happen to you, it is actually the least of your troubles. The way our Canadian climate works, you will have to worry about navigating deep snow, black ice, slippery bridge decks and icy intersections among many other hazards.

In regions with heavy snowfall and prolonged low temperatures, having a set of winter tires installed may be the difference between driving around safely or spinning off a slick road. Winter tires are specifically designed to provide improved traction, control and safety. They are made of softer rubber compound and silica that sticks to the road much better than all-season tires.

If you haven’t put your winter tires on already, hurry up and do so. It is recommended that you install winter tires mid-October and remove them in late March. This is of course subject to change according to weather conditions. Another incentive to get them installed is that if the police catch you driving around with regular tires on snow covered roads, they will give you an expensive ticket, a fair punishment for jeopardizing your safety and that of fellow motorists who share the roads with you.

Just because it is winter season, that does not mean you need to shy away from learning how to drive. Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500.

We all age at different rates, but decline is inevitable, and there is no question it affects our ability to drive. After the age of 65 our reaction time slows, making it harder to multi-task, which is an important requirement for driving. We’re slower at retrieving and processing information and our spatial and visual-motor integration becomes challenged.

Our attention (a necessity for driving) also diminishes, as does the ability to search and scan. Vision is also compromised. We’re less able to see things at far distances, such as what’s happening up the road, and less able to focus on near objects, such as the odometer. As we age, we need more illumination to see, we’re more sensitive to glare and have compromised night vision.

Driving tips for senior drivers:

– Stick to streets you know.
– Keep radio, talking and noise to a minimum.
– Avoid driving in snow and ice conditions.
– Avoid driving at night, dusk and dawn.
– Read labels on all medication. Many can cause drowsiness and confusion.
– If you can’t turn your head to do a shoulder check, an auxiliary wide-angle view mirror would help.

If other drivers are frequently honking at you, if you’ve had several fender benders, if you’re getting lost on familiar roads, if you can’t keep up with traffic, if you’re missing traffic signals, or if you find yourself in more and more close calls, then seek professional help from a driving school to test your driving.

Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving evaluation. (416) 293-6500

Many people misunderstand the role of the “designated driver.” A designated driver is a pre-appointed member of any group who will abstain from drinking alcohol, doing drugs, or smoking marijuana so that they can safely drive others home after an event. This eliminates the need to organize cabs or take multiple vehicles. A designated driver is not the individual who has had the least amount of alcohol to drink or the closest to feeling sober.

The easiest way to ensure everyone has a safe and fun time at any event is to plan how everyone is going to get to and from each location. By planning efficiently before any get-together, you eliminate any unexpected surprises and the designated driver of your group knows what to expect.

In the event that having a designated driver doesn’t go according to plan (the responsible driver gets too drunk or high to drive), you can utilize Operation Red Nose or other safe-driving programs in your area. Calling a sober friend or family member to come and get you, or taking a taxi or an Uber are also safe alternatives.

Music can be a stimulant, a relaxant and an attention provoker for the novice teenage driver. Studies show that the music a driver chooses to listen to can have an impact on both their physiological state and driving performance. Depending on the person and their driving capability and experience, certain types of music can induce and maintain certain moods which in turn can impact driving behavior.

According to a new study from Ben-Gurion University, teenage novice drivers listening to their preferred music while driving commit a greater number of errors and miscalculations. The study also found that the decibel rate at which music is played can also be a detrimental factor to the quality of driving. Loud music can inhibit the driver from hearing outside noise such as car horns, or an ambulance or cop car. Regardless of the kind of music playing in the car, reactions are slower when the volume is high.

The popularity of music gadgets such as the iPod and iPhone has also increased the incidence of traffic accidents. The song search dilemma is the main issue here, people are scrolling through endless lists of music which causes them to look away from the road more often and for longer periods.

Ambitious Drivers recommends that you tone down or switch off the music when you find yourself in a busy area that requires attention. We also recommend that you prepare a short playlist for the road ahead of time so that you don’t end up scrolling through a playlist while your eyes should be on the road.

Ambitious Drivers driving courses allocate equal importance to theoretical and practical training. Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500

Planning and preparing before you begin driving is extremely important. Defensive driving begins with making sure your vehicle is in safe running order. Before going on the road, check the lights, fluids, belts and tire conditions to make sure that the vehicle is safe.

On a personal level, check yourself to make sure you are not too tired or stressed to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. For example, if you haven’t had a meal in over 20 hours or if you are sleep deprived, simply do not get into the car. Risking your life is not worth it! You have several options such as calling a cab or asking for a ride from a friend.

Before you hit the road, plan your route via Google maps or using a GPS, this can help alleviate some of the stress in driving. Once inside the vehicle, sit up straight and raise your seat’s head restraint so that it is even with your ears. Adjust the driver’s seat to keep plenty of space between you and the steering wheel to allow for air bag inflation in the sudden cause of an accident. If necessary, especially if you share a car with someone else, adjust all mirrors so that you can see clearly around and behind you. Finally, as you prepare to leave, don’t forget to buckle up.

As basic as these steps may sound to some readers, many people (some who have been driving for years), fail to pay attention or follow through with these steps. Remember that defensive driving starts with taking responsibility of your personal safety and the status of your car.

At Ambitious Drivers our professional instructors are committed to improving the fundamental skills of the everyday driver. Contact us today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500.

After an accident occurs, making sure no one is hurt should be first and foremost on any young driver’s mind. But thinking clearly and remembering what to do after a wreck in dealing with the other driver, the police and the insurance company can make a big difference in the amount of money you might pay to repair the damage.

Here’s what you need to know about how to deal with accidents and how and when to put the wheels in motion with the insurance claim.

– Keep documents handy. Make sure there’s a current proof of insurance identification card and car registration in the glove box.
– No matter what happens, remain calm. Take a deep breath and get out of the car and make sure that you have suffered no injuries and are able to walk. Head towards the other car and make sure that the driver and passengers are OK. If they are unconscious or unresponsive, immediately call 911.
– If it is a small accident, also remain calm and head towards the other car. Even if you are angry that the person ran a red light ramming into you leaving your own car with a canyon-sized dent, there is no point in exchanging angry words or getting violent.
– If the other driver shows aggression, do not respond with anger. If their behavior becomes more threatening, walk back to your car. Close the windows lock the door and call the police.
– If the other person is calm and civil, exchange insurance information and try and discuss what happened.
– Gather auto-registration and insurance information from the other driver before the police arrive and try to get witness information if possible.

Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500

Those who are planning to take a road trip vacation should perform essential car maintenance checks, such as oil, cooling fluid and tire pressure. Drivers should also familiarize themselves with the driving rules and the road conditions of the countries they plan to visit.

Below is a short guideline we have put together to help drivers who will be going on road trips this summer. Keep the tips below in mind and you will encounter an enjoyable and safe journey:

– Drivers should be aware of some of the hazards that can affect driving in the summer months. High temperatures can affect the rubber on tyres, and under-inflation of tyres can add to the problems, causing friction and additional wear on weak spots.
– Drivers should check the condition of their car’s tyres regularly, and make sure they are correctly inflated and unaffected by the journey.
– Before travelling, drivers should look at the coolant reservoir level in the engine and checking for leaking hoses.
– Drivers should check their air conditioning system before a journey.
– Drivers should be mindful of speed limits. Speed limits vary from one country to another.
– Drivers should ensure that they have appropriate insurance and breakdown cover.

Contact Ambitious Drivers today to schedule your driving classes. (416) 293-6500