ung man offers sage advi , Shalit Conlin signals IT’S aice to know I’m not alone. I was surfing the web recently, hunting down some dated stats on highway safety when I stumbled across a Web page by a teenager named Ryan Buckhoitz. It scems Ryan, too, has a keen interest in traffic safety. His Web page is dedicated to driving tips for teens like himself. The site is vast and wel! categorized.Gotia get me one of those. In the meanrime, please feel free to visit his at * . Ryan has collected advice from friends and family, read- ers and other traffic afficiona- dos. The end result is an odd but helpful mish-mash of no- brainer advice and genuine pearls of wisdom. His General Driving section alone is teeming with tips both obvious and subtle. Here is but a sample: @ Always wear your seat belt and make sure all passengers buckle up, too. ' @ Never try to fit more people - in the car than you have seat _ belts for them to use, unless you’re a clown in a circus act. @ Adjust your car’s ‘headrest toa height behind your head - — not your neck — to mini- mize whiplash in case you're in an accident. Obey the speed limits. - Going too fast gives you less time to stop or react. _@ Excess speed.is one of the main causes of teenage acci- dents. ‘& Don’t run red lights. ” 3 Use turn signals to indicate your. intention to tura or to change lanes. Turn ‘it on to give he cars behind you enough time to react before - “you take the action. Also,” *“tomake sure the signads turns off after you’ve completed the action. (I love this guy!) @. When light turns green, make sure the intersection : clears before you go. (Always de that.) . 8 Don’t drive like you own — “the read; drive like you own .the car. (P?'m going to steal. that one.) - . . & Don’s blast rhe, radio. You _might miss hearing a siren or a horn that could warn you of possible trouble; (A side note here: I recent- ly discovered that the end solo of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” resonates at exactly the same pitch as a fire truck’s siren —. but I can’t condone NOT biasting:Neil Young on - the radio...) & Make sure your garage door is completely. open before backing out: cf it.: This was submitted by another teen who learned this one from his’ dad’s mistakes... _ (That’s a particular favourite of mine.) ~ Make sure your car has gas in it. Don’t ride around with the gauge on. empty -— who knows where you might. get: _ stranded. (Kid needs -a lesson b in dating techniques.) @ Don’t drink and drive, and don’: ride with anyone who has been drinking. Call par- ents or friends to take you home if you need a ride. (Always sage advice.) @ Don't take drugs or drive if you've taken any. (Um, right.) §& Don’t salk on the car phone, put on make-up, comb your hair, or cat while driving. People who talk on car phones while driving are four times morc fikely to have an accident. If you need to make a call, pull off the road to a safe spot and park. (Go man, go.) @ Don’t fiddle with the radio while you are driving (unless you’re just cranking up anoth- er Neil Young song). It’s ber- ter to wait until you can pull over and stop because even taking your focus off the road for a few seconds could lead to an accident. @ Maintain your car. Bald tires, a slipping transmission, ora hesitant cngine could lead to accidents. Bi Use headlights during day- light driving to make you more visible to oncoming dri- vers. Be on the lookout for motorcycles, bikes, and Guarantesd Sest Price ¢ Fast Drive-in Service ° Free Estinztos 4 Street Garage © BBB member © Govt Inspection Facility 53887 © AirCare Certtied 80518 « Lifetime Warrantias’ 834 West ist St. N. Van For a appointment cali Opsti: | “seenare Mon-Fri 8-5 pedestrians. When driving to a new place, get complete directions before vou go. Figure out what exits vou niced to take before hand. One (Web site) visitor hit a divider at an exit ramp location after being told too late that this was the place to get off the highway. (a cias- sic) GE Ryan sigas off with “Good driving. Ryan Buckholtz.” Nice job, Ryan. It’s good to sec someone taking such a keen interest in back-page filler advice that needs to be said just the same. Keep up the good work. Neil Young forever! Be safe. Gas deals on the Net Brady Fotheringham Contributing Writer IF you’ve ever been frustrated by gas wars on the North Shore trying to sort out who has the best deal, the Internet has come to your rescue, Regardless of Internet hype, there is one fact thar cannot be disputed: it democ- ratizes the retail sector by helping price conscious con- sumers comparison shop. On July 7, Paul Bryan of Vancouver’s In-Touch Software Corp., started that lets 296 PEMBERTO! S27-1 Bit abeedZors whan 720 chiK, Y yesiea ready gutta work fey) to change gears, cr Mt yeu hoor nodes, ita ties: to vieit - any car owner click on a region from the North Shore to Abborsford and find our the cheapest gas retailers (reg: ular gas only). Bryan believes “the best consumer is the best informed consumer” and anyone can e- mail in a tip about a change in gas prices. His site Jets you know whether a new price was sect by an anonymous or named site visitor. The accuracy of the infor- mation isn’t guaranteed but as of August 25 the cheapest price was. 57.9 at surprise — the Real Canadian‘Suverstore. When given a call to verify that afternoon, the actual price was 56.9. Go save. MM CLASS LEASE SPECIAL Based on a 1999 ML320 Elegance, 5.5% lease rates. 36 month walkaway with $7,879.61 down or trade. Taxes, PDI, freight and license extra (18,000km/yr)_ Optional buy back $34,240.00 0.A.C. 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