Greg's Driving School

Check Out The Resources Below To Learn More About Car Safety And Accident Avoidance

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drivers aged 16 to 19 are three times more likely to get into an accident than drivers aged 20 and older. If you’re new to driving, you should take a driver’s education course in order to reduce your chances of getting into an accident.

• Tailgating can easily lead to a collision. Find out what the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says about following distances.
   
• In order to stay safe this winter, you should keep a roadside emergency kit in your car at all times. ConsumerReports.org can tell you what to include.   
   
• What should you do when your car starts hydroplaning? Find out at this page from HowStuffWorks.com
   
• Driving in snow and ice is extremely dangerous. Find out how you can stay safe this winter at Weather.com
   
• Inexperienced teen drivers are extremely vulnerable to traffic accidents. Learn more at this page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information, call Greg’s Driving School at (301) 703-9075.

Hydroplaning: What Is It, and How Can I Avoid It?

If you’ve ever driven in heavy rain, you’ve likely seen puddles along the road. In order to maintain control of your vehicle as you drive through these puddles, you need to keep all four wheels on the road at all times. Though tires are designed to disperse water on the road, they can’t do so under certain conditions. When you drive across a puddle at high speed, for example, your wheels will skid along the surface of the water instead of maintaining contact with the road. If you allow your vehicle to hydroplane, you could lose control and get into a terrible accident.  

Avoiding Danger

The best way to avoid hydroplaning is to steer clear of large puddles on the road. If you must drive through a puddle, you should do so very slowly. It also helps to stay on top of tire maintenance by rotating them once every 15,000 miles and keeping them inflated to the recommended pressure. Your tires are more likely to maintain the proper friction when they have ample tread.

Maintaining Control

Sometimes, hydroplaning is inevitable. If you’re driving along the freeway, for example, you may not notice a puddle until it’s too late. If you sense that your vehicle is hydroplaning, you should take your foot off of the accelerator and maintain a steady grip on the steering wheel. You should avoid heavy braking or sharp turns—otherwise, you risk spinning out of control.

If you enroll in a driver’s education course, you’ll learn everything you need to know about driving in rainy conditions. At Greg’s Driving School, we strive to provide our students with the tools they need to be safe drivers. Call our Maryland office at (301) 703-9075 to learn more about our driver’s education and driver improvement courses.   

Building a Winter Roadside Breakdown Emergency Kit

Though your vehicle may be reliable now, there’s no telling how it will behave in the future. For example, a jagged rock in the road could pop your tire, leaving you stranded. Since breaking down in the dead of winter can be extremely dangerous, you should keep an emergency kit in your vehicle at all times. Here are a few items to include:  

First Aid Items

It’s not unusual for drivers to suffer cuts or bruises during accidents. In order to manage your or your passengers’ injuries, you should pack antibacterial ointment, bandages, aspirin, and other important first aid items.

Basic Repair Tools

Though many breakdowns require a tow truck, you may be able to resolve some problems yourself. For instance, a set of jumper cables can help jumpstart your battery, while a jack and lug wrench can help you change a flat tire. It’s also a good idea to carry a flashlight with extra batteries so you can see in the dark.  

Warm Clothes

If you have to spend the night in your car, you should make sure you’re warm enough to ward off hypothermia. Gloves, hats, blankets, and chemical hand warmers can all help you stay warm.

Food and Water

Unfortunately, you have no control over where your vehicle breaks down. In case you become stranded in a rural area, you should keep enough water and non-perishable food to sustain you until help arrives.

Winter Gear

It’s also important to pack several items that will help you get through the winter weather. For example, tire chains can give you additional traction, while an ice scraper can increase visibility.

Staying safe in the winter is easy if you make the right preparations. If you’re looking for a quality driver’s education course in central Maryland, contact Greg’s Driving School. Students must be over 15 to enroll, though no permit is required to start the course. Call our office today at (301) 703-9075 if you have any questions.  

5 Essential Winter Driving Tips to Keep You Safe on the Road

If you just started driving this past summer, you haven’t yet experienced the hardest parts of driving. As fall turns into winter, rain, ice, and snow will take over Maryland roads, presenting you with your next challenge. You can stay safe as long as you follow these simple tips:

Slow Down

Speed limit signs inform drivers of safe travel speeds under normal conditions. If there’s rain, ice, or snow on the road, obeying the speed limit could be unsafe. In order to maintain control in dangerous conditions, you should slow down, regardless of what the speed limit signs say.  

Keep Your Distance

Depending on speed and vehicle weight, stopping distance in wet conditions can be twice the normal stopping distance. In order to prevent your vehicle from slamming into the vehicle in front of you, you should allow a following distance of six car-lengths in wet conditions.

Brake Gently

Though gentle braking is always important, it’s essential when there’s ice or rain on the road. If you brake too hard in a rainstorm, you will likely lose control of your vehicle.

Avoid Sharp Turns

Though most tires are designed to maintain friction in harsh conditions, you shouldn’t push their limits. If you take a turn too fast, for example, you could easily spin out. When you need to turn, you should do so slowly and maintain control throughout the whole process.

Stay on Top of Maintenance

In order to stay safe, you need to make sure your tires have enough tread and are inflated to their recommended pressure. You should also make sure your tail- and headlights are working and your wiper blades are functional.

If you have any questions about winter driving, enroll in a driver’s education course at Greg’s Driving School. We’ve been helping Maryland citizens become safe drivers since 1992. Call us today at (301) 703-9075 to speak with one of our knowledgeable representatives.

What to Do Following a Collision

An auto accident can be one of the most terrifying experiences of one’s life. In order to protect yourself and others in the wake of an accident, you should learn and follow post-accident protocol.

This video discusses what to do in the moments after an accident. First, you should see if everyone involved in the accident is all right. If anyone is injured, you should make sure he or she remains comfortable until an ambulance arrives.

Avoiding a collision is much easier than dealing with the aftermath of one. At Greg’s Driving School, you or your teenager will learn a number of skills that will keep you safe on Maryland roads. Call us today at (301) 703-9075 to find out how to enroll.