As one of the main auto dealerships in the city, Discovery Ford Humboldt has a vested interest in the safe driving practices of its customers. As such, they sponsored a skid collision course for the community and their customers for two weeks in January.
“I got really excited about the (Skid Smart Collision Avoidance Program) because all of us could sharpen our winter driving skills, no matter how many years you’ve been on the road,” said Discovery Ford marketing manager, Mary Jane Gagnon. “Technology changes, techniques change and despite what may have worked before, there are better methods today. So this was an opportunity to help everybody sharpen their winter driving skills, whether you’re 16 or whether you’re 60.”
The program was divided up into two courses: an in-school theory portion and then a practical. The practical is where people had the most fun as it involved going out onto the course with their cars and putting what they learned to the test in a series of controlled exercises.
In order to create the course, Discovery Ford Humboldt made the course using their own property, equipment, and manpower. After they had cleared away the snow and land, the Humboldt Fire Department voluntarily came upon request to spray water onto a portion of the course for the ice pad.
According to Gagnon, it was only a thin layer of ice, but it required approximately 18,000 gallons of water. The fire department used their pumper truck and had to return three times to get the job done.
The purpose of the track was to simulate realistic emergency situations in order to teach them to apply the tips and techniques they learned in the aforementioned class.
“The drivers don’t realize what they can do and what they shouldn’t be doing,” said Lee Carlson, the course’s main instructor and the one who developed the program. “So what we’re doing is showing the tips and techniques in collision avoidance and controlling your vehicle and we’re dispelling a few myths out there.”
The course covered things such as how to properly use your eyes, appropriate tires for Saskatchewan winters, how antilock brakes work, how to control a skid, and dispelling common myths.
“It’s pretty hard to identify one (myth), but I would say the majority of people overestimate their abilities,” said Carlson. “It’s a sad thing, but many people think they’re better than they are and they underestimate the conditions. So that’s a bad combination; it’s like a recipe for disaster. Speed is also a predominate factor.”
Carlson developed the skid course collision avoidance program 12 years ago and has more than 20 years experience in driver training, driver education and driver development. According to him, not much surprises him anymore.
“There are a lot of similarities, a lot of trends, a lot of patterns,” he said. “You get to know how people are going to respond— I mean, we’re talking in general terms. There’s always the exception to the rule, but most people will do similar things, so we kind of know what people are going to do in a certain situation.”
With as much experience as he has, Carlson says this course can benefit drivers of all ages, whether you’re old or young. He’s had teenagers and people up to their mid-eighties and all of them have learned something from the course, he said. However, since this is an advanced course, some experience would be almost necessary since you need to know the basics first.
“It’s easy to learn how to drive a vehicle, but now we’re taking it to the next level,” said Carlson.
The course cost the general public $280 per person, but Discovery Ford customers were charged $200 and then given a $200 certificate.
