May Long Must Know Driving Tips — From a fellow traveler.
Summer long weekends are the best kind of weekends. One time when I lived in British Columbia, my buddy drove a bucket of bolts old pontiac and it broke down on us at the most inopportune time. It overheated because it was 30 degrees outside, in the middle lane on a small hill at 4:50pm on the Port Mann Bridge, Friday of the August long weekend… For a moment in time we were the most hated men in the province due to our ignorance. People were yelling obscenities at me as they passed by and some even threatened to kill us if i didn’t move our car. Needless to say we caused a minor back up until a police officer came behind us and gently placed his bush bar into our trunk and drove us over the bridge and out of the way. That was a story I will never forget because it was such an awful experience. I hope something like this never happens to you. WHICH is why i created a small post to get you through the weekend and enjoying your BBQ / campfire stories… maybe you can bring up my tall tale.
1.Don’t try to beat the crowd. The only way to beat everyone else up to the cottage or campsite is by leaving yesterday. So if you’re like everybody else and are leaving today (Friday) then be prepared to sit and enjoy two lovely little red glowing lights in front of you. There is no point in rushing through the traffic increasing your risk of accident if the end result is getting somewhere 5 minutes faster. It is not worth it… never is.
2. Bring Snacks. If you preoccupy yourself with some tasty treats you will feel more awake and less likely to to be hangry. (angry because of hunger). Energy bars, water, chips that kind of junk will get you through the drive happily. Fun
3. Don‘t Tailgate. The left lane tends to be the worst lane for traffic as people assume it is faster and jump in it only to get caught by stop and go traffic. Again it is simple and not worth it.
4. Free Towing. This weekend if you happen to break down somewhere, Canadian Tire has offered to tow you vehicle for free (up to 100km) to the nearest Canadian Tire. While I wouldn’t recommend getting and engine swap there, they do serve a purpose for minor problems like flat tires or dead batteries. Here is the link Click Here You’re welcome.
5. Don’t Mickey Mouse your trailer. “ah it will be fine” famous last words that could end in disaster. Make sure all of your lights work. Your tires are inflated properly and visually inspected to wear or problems. Also make sure everything inside is secure and strapped down like fridge doors or drawers…. double check.
6. Have a contigency plan. If things go south for whatever reason, make sure you have some back up plan to get you through the day or night. For example if there is a huge accident on the 400N make sure you have an alternative route to keep you on track. Also make sure you phone is charged for emergency as well. You never know when you or someone else may have to make an emergency phone call.
7. Stay off your device you idiot. Don’t be the weekend tragedy because Mindy sent you a text with her new nail polish and you are trying to zoom in on the picture to see how much she paid for it. There are way to many reasons not to take these extra risks yet we do anyways for the sake of being temporarily disconnected from the world. If this is you, figure it out and don’t become a statistic. — Kevin Sawka out.