Boyd Autobody & Glass Articles

We all have heroes and we love to emulate them

After all, who wouldn't want to be a cool action star like Matt Damon from The Bourne Identity or Jason Statham from The Transporter or Angelina Jolie from Laura Croft: Tomb Raider?

Although these heroes engage our imagination and make us dream that we ourselves might be action stars, and although we can emulate them in some ways, we must never learn to drive from them.

Those heroes are fictional.

If we drove in real life like they do in the fictional world, we'd all be doomed

Action stars are somehow able to get into a vehicle and even if their character is a complete novice, they can drive expertly through crowded traffic while foiling an army of villains who are shooting at...

Part of driving safely means spotting the dangers, and some of those dangers are easy to spot

That weaving vehicle? That speeding driver? That guy who ran the red light? Those are obvious. Here are dangers that are more difficult to spot.

Be aware of them and watch for them so you can avoid a collision when these invisible dangers are present Vehicles in your blindspot. This is probably the best-known "invisible danger" and yet so many drivers fail to check their blindspots before turning. A quick shoulder-check gives you an opportunity to sweep your blindspots with your eyes to make sure it's safe to turn Children. Children are oblivious to the world around them. And they're short. That's a scary...

A lot of collisions occur at intersections

We thought it would be a good idea to write an article reminding people how to drive safely through intersections. We're focusing on intersections with lights but the same amount of care and attention is required for intersections with stop signs.

Recommendations If the light is green while you're approaching the intersection, slow down slightly and check the cross streets for cars that aren't stopping for their red light, and the left turn lane for oncoming traffic that might turn in front of you. If you get into a collision, it's likely that it will come from one of these trouble spots. Slowing down slightly gives you extra time to evaluate the risks and judge what your best option is When the...

Just three short years ago, Transport Canada released some shocking statistics that should be a wake-up call for all Canadian drivers

Their studies found that there were over 124,000 collisions on Canadian highways in 2009 that caused injury or death.

At Boyd, we want to see this number go down. We believe it can if all Canadians commit drive a little more safely. We also recognize that it's hard to make a lot of big changes. So we're encouraging everyone to make small changes… just to improve one driving skill each month.

This month, we are encouraging people to turn safely. Turning sounds like something you do but it is an entire skillset on its own: You need to judge distances, brake and accelerate in a controlled...

In 2009, Transport Canada measured the number of collisions causing injury or death on Canadian roads

The number, they found, was 124,000. That's not a number that is likely to go down. At Boyd, we'd like to see that number diminished as more Canadians become careful drivers.

We've dedicated 2012 to be the Year of Safer Driving, and we're doing our part by encouraging everyone to work on just one driving skill each month. We believe that if we all can improve one driving skill each and every month, we'll all drive safer and diminish the number of injury- or death-causing collisions on Canadian roads.

This month, the safe driving skill to work on is braking in time.

Our vehicle's brakes give us a false sense of security.

Safe driving is everyone's responsibility

Here are eight ways you can be a safer driver Slow down. Speed is one of the top causes of collisions. Actually, it's not speed itself but it's the reduced reaction time that you have when you drive above the speed limit. Speed limits are chosen for a reason, including the number of potential hazards you'll face on a road and the distance you need to stop Don't call or text. Distracted driving is on the rise as mobile devices become more popular. We lead busy lives and feel the need to multitask in the vehicle while we drive. However, driving takes 100% of our attention Slow down at crosswalks. Yes, you are already watching your speed (see #1) but slowing down at crosswalks is a good way to stay vigilant...

The first vehicles didn't go very fast

In the late 1800's Karl Benz's Motorwagen achieved speeds of sixteen kilometres per hour. This may have seemed fast compared to horses, which walk at about six kilometres an hour and trot at about thirteen kilometres per hour. Ford's Model T could achieve speeds of about 70 kilometres per hour, which may have seemed breakneck in that era, but it's likely that they went much slower because the roads weren't paved and they were sharing the roads with pedestrians and slow-moving horses.

Fast forward to today

Today's vehicles are built solidly, can achieved speeds in the hundreds of kilometres an hour, they drive on paved roads, and many city roads and suburban plans are designed around the vehicle. With...

Transport Canada has released a shocking statistic – in 2009, there were 124,000 collisions causing injury or death

In the past 3 years since those numbers were researched, is it likely that collisions have decreased? We don't think so.

So we're trying to do something about it. Each month, we've been highlighting one skill to help Canadian drivers improve on the roads. Although we'd love to see sweeping improvements in how safely drivers drive, we think that a realistic goal would be to improve one driving skill each month. If everyone worked at improving just one driving skill each month, imagine how much safer our roads would be!

This month, we're focusing on the safe driving skill of remaining in control. That sounds like...

According to Transport Canada, there were about 124,000 collisions causing injury or fatality in 2009 (the last year that statistics were available as of this writing)

It's not likely that this numbers has decreased in the three years since it was published.

At Boyd, we think something should be done about that. Since most collisions are caused by drivers (instead of road conditions or vehicle conditions), we believe that improving safe driving skills can help to drive that number down. If we all agree to improving one skill each month for a year, we'll have all re-learned twelve skills essential to safer driving.

This month, the skill we are looking to improve is the skill of signalling. Let's face it: Over time, our ability to...

Imagine this scenario

Jim is walking down the grocery store aisle and he stops to compare prices on cans of dog food. Behind him, Larry has to step around him in the aisle to avoid crashing into him. Instead of quickly stepping around Jim and moving on, Larry flies off the handle. He starts screaming at Jim and threatening him. And maybe he follows Jim around the grocery store, trying to do the same thing to him.

In a grocery store setting, that sounds ridiculous. It would be ridiculous if it happened at the park, at the gym, in the Laundromat, in church, at a restaurant, or at the movie theatre. But on the road – with Jim in one vehicle and Larry in another – that is an all-too-common occurrence. If Jim stopped suddenly,