DriveSmartBC

If there is one driving situation that I like the least, it has to be driving at night when it is raining. It was like driving into a wet coal sack and many of the environmental cues that I used to position my vehicle were unavailable to me. Although proper vision was my biggest worry, traction is also reduced and that must be taken into account.

I almost always check the price of gasoline when I pull onto the highway headed for work each day. An increase in the numbers usually brings a groan and starts me thinking about how to use less. The way I drive my little truck can have a significant influence on how much fuel it uses.

This video from Young Drivers of Canada shows the safest following distance on the road and how to adjust this distance depending on the road conditions.

The University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering created a test similar to that administered to new drivers attempting to obtain their first driver's license. Almost 89% of the experienced drivers who took that test failed it.

For British Columbians, fall has definitely arrived! We're back to rain, ice, snow and low visibility. This month's tip is a repeat from last year, Driving Smart in Bad Weather, which gives important pointers on how you can handle all these weather changes.

Twenty years of traffic policing has left me wondering if today is the day that another driver will involve me in a crash. I seem to be asking myself this more and more often as I observe the behaviour of other drivers around me. Driving is probably the largest risk that I take in my life right now.

Drivers are exposed to 1,320 pieces of information per minute as they approach an intersection. Take the Drive Smart Challenge to learn how rushing can affect your ability behind the wheel.

Mirror, signal, shoulder check, change is the chant that we all know to follow for a successful lane change. We also use our rearview mirrors to give us a better view than our eyes alone when we are backing up. Is this all that mirrors are used for and are these the only times that we use them?

How long has it been since you read the manual that new drivers study to prepare for their first driver's license? Why bother you say? You've been driving for years and know it all. I wish I could say that!

Meet Nia, who presents her top 12 tips for defensive driving. The video runs for 4 minutes and 29 seconds and was funded by the US insurance firm Allstate as part of their Vehicle Vibes series.