Whether you’ve just earned your first driver’s license, or you’re a seasoned road warrior, every motorist can benefit from some solid driving advice. Quite often, some of the best tidbits come from our dads, who have racked up quite a few kilometers on their own odometers. That combination of driving savvy and parental care comes through in some of the best pieces of driving advice we’ve heard from fathers.

Navigating hilly, curving roads

Around Waterdown, Burlington, and Hamilton, there can be some tricky hills and curves to deal with. When hills and curving roads combine, they create a potentially hazardous situation because you can’t tell what’s approaching you from around the corner. In situations like this, a solid piece of advice is to keep to the right of the road. In case another driving coming in the opposite is veering towards the middle of the road, you’ll have enough room to avoid a collision.

Scan, don’t stare

Driving instructors and fathers alike will tell you that your eyes need to keep moving while you’re behind the wheel. The longer you lock your eyes on what’s directly ahead of you, the more likely it is that you’ll be unaware of other cars, trucks, bikes, and pedestrians beside and behind you. Rather than focusing straight ahead, keep your eyes moving to your rearview mirror, your side mirrors, and scan a wide area in front of you, not just the space directly ahead of your vehicle. A good rule of thumb is to move your eyes every two seconds so that you have continuously updated information on what’s around you; doing so will let you anticipate hazards rather than react to them.

Dealing with tailgaters and other terrible drivers

This piece of advice stems nicely from the last one on scanning. If you look up at your rearview mirror and find a driver tailgating you, don’t try to speed up – it’s likely he/she will just accelerate more and keep close to your back bumper. Instead, gradually ease off the gas to slow down. That gives the tailgater more incentive to pass.

If you find yourself irked by a tailgater or some other uncourteous driver, take a moment to acknowledge your frustration, but then move on. If you’re upset for a prolonged period behind the wheel, you might let some of your good driving habits slip.

Slow in, fast out

This is a tip that’s primarily meant as advice for race car drivers, but it applies to driving on public roads just as much as it does on racing circuits. When navigating a corner, you should come in slow and speed up while you’re on your way out. This technique works well on front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive cars, and it comes in particularly handy when road conditions are poor because of rain or snow.

Don’t drink and drive

You’d be hard pressed to find a father who hasn’t given this bit of advice, and that’s because it remains vital. Alcohol impairs your judgement and motor skills – two essential elements of safe driving. So if you’re out for a night on the town, call on a designated driver or call a taxi so that you get home safely.