My personal site (Private property, central in Eastern Ontario) is specifically designed for teaching skid control / vehicle handling techniques. It is not a race track. Due to the fact that the majority of our clients are new drivers, elderly, or drivers sent by the Ottawa Court system, we designed the pad as to not be intimidating or to reflect a High speed / High Performance environment.

The pad ( 50,000 sq. ft. ) is a fine compound pavement so that the vehicle will slide (wet or dry) at a "SAFE" speed. This allows the drivers to learn the techniques & develop confidence in their skills and ability to control a vehicle and recovery from their mistakes.

We believe you must learn new skills in a comfortable environment, then learn to apply and adapt them to more challenging situations. Drivers only learn by making and correcting their mistakes. They can not be intimidated if they are to learn how to prevent / reduce driving errors.

Drivers require and develop the same techniques & reflexes to control vehicles at any speed. Higher speeds require quicker reflexes and observational skills. This makes the transition to a different environment the only requirement.

To start the day,we begin with 1 � 1 � hr. of classroom, explaining basic vehicle dynamics & physics when applied to steering control & braking .

Drivers are taught that all skids begin with a slide. If sensed early enough and properly handled, you can prevent a slide from developing into a skid." Slides are controllable."

We train drivers to judge a vehicle's traction limits on any surface. Next we teach the drivers how to push any vehicle to it's limits and hang on so that they do not let the vehicle go beyond it's limits and thereby maintain "Control" of the vehicle. Drivers are taught that they never "Loose Control " unless they "Let go of the Steering Wheel ".

With this the students are taught to "Throw & Catch " the vehicle, (this involves maximum steering left & right, without letting go of the steering wheel while driving in a straight line). It shows what happens when they attempt to do the same thing with Hand over Hand Steering.

It very quickly becomes obvious that Hand over Hand does not and can not work. This is the main reason that so many drivers loose control on the highway. They simply let go of the steering wheel because they do not know what else to do and this ultimately results in loss of control.

Panic Braking is practiced at the end of every run to give the drivers experience in braking under all circumstances. This is usually initiated while the vehicle is swinging sideways with the tires sliding.

The vehicle must always be stopped, sitting in a straight line in the middle of the track. This gives the drivers a positional goal to accomplish while they are attempting to get the vehicle stopped in the shortest possible distance.Unlike using water /oil, this area on the pad is usually covered with sand, gravel,or mud so the traction is different every time, and not always the same for all four tires - .

Once the drivers have developed confidence in the Steering Wheel, Brakes, and the fact that "they" are controlling the vehicle, we move on to Obstacle Avoidance, Brake & Avoid, Shoulder Recovery ( Two tires on gravel & two on pavement, then 4 tires in the gravel & back onto the pavement without letting up on the gas or going into the oncoming lane ).

Due to uncontrollable winter weather, I deal differently with winter training. Typically a company or group will get 15 � 20 drivers together for a half day program in which they use their own vehicles � cars to School Bus drivers. We ask the group to provide a site as it is easier for me to go to a group than to have them all come to me.

The bottom line is that we want drivers to realize that all surfaces are dangerous, not only when they are wet or covered with snow and ice.

The training and techniques will and do work on any surface in any vehicle if the driver can properly judge the surface traction.

We walk with the same skills winter or summer, how do you adjust your walking skills differently for the different seasons ? Most don't, but they adapt the same skills to more slippery surfaces.

"Vehicle Dynamics" taught with the proper attitude develops Safer Drivers.

My 35 years experience as a Paramedic is a decided advantage in having drivers listen when I speak. Also this is a unique background for any type of instructor.

Call / e-mail anytime

Regards;

Bob Joynt / 613-284-7255