New larger classroom Location 🤯

More Saturday classes are also now available!

You talk, we listen! Due to increased demand, BDS is adding a new larger classroom location of 7145 Evangeline Trail, Coldbrook. It is inside Cambrooken Court Business Centre and close to Chuck’s Auto & Glass Ltd and opposite to Subway Coldbrook This great extra location of our driving school will be open starting September 1st, 2021. Our signage is already up, how cool is that?

This new classroom location offers:

• More dates available, including weekends
• Larger space for classes
• Comfortable seating
• Better parking

If you are looking to register to our programs and take classes at this location please see the schedule.

Travel with your car in a Ferry in Nova Scotia

These are now permanently FREE for all riders.

Nova Scotia intra-provincial ferry services are an integral part of the transportation network and you can take your car with you!

What are the routes?

Four cable ferries:

• LaHave – Lunenburg County
• Country Harbour, Guysborough County
• Little Narrows, Victoria County
• Englishtown, Victoria County

Three ocean-going, self-propelled ferries:

• Tancook Island – Chester
• Petit Passage at Digby Neck
• Grand Passage at Digby Neck

If you are looking for exact Locations and Schedules, please visit This link – NS Website

What is defensive driving?

Defensive driving is driving with the knowledge of specific rules that allow you to reach our destination avoiding accidents, despite the actions of others and adverse conditions. It’s a positive approach to driving, which means keeping control of your safety in your own hands, taking into account all the possible risks that arise when driving and the way to avoid them.

This type of driving is based, mainly, on the driver to drive attentive to the mistakes of others, without ever reaching aggression or violence.

How can I drive safer?

1. Be aware of possible danger:

Think of all the possible dangerous situations you will have to face, for example: the driver in front of you might hot the breaks suddenly, if it’s raining, it will take your car a longer distance to come to a complete stop, a distracted pedestrian might cross the road without noticing you.

2. Understand what to do as a defence:

There are definite ways to deal with specific driving situations. never tailgate a vehicle, if the car in front of you suddenly stops, you will have change of stop smoothly without a collision.  Allow yourself a longer braking distance when raining. Always be aware of pedestrians and try to predict if they will cross the street suddenly.

3. It takes practice!

This might sound like a lot of information, but no worries, defensive driving is an skill, and you need to practice it every-time you are behind the wheel, in no time you will notice that you are more receptive and it’s easier to focus on driving and paying attention at your surroundings at the same time. You can do it!

If you feel that you need help with defensive driving, contact us. At Bolland Driving school, we make sure that from day one, our students practice Defensive Driving skills, we can also help you to control road rage and stay in calm in stressful situations.

What Is Aquaplaning or Hydroplaning?

The dangerous phenomenon of Aquaplaning (also called hydroplaning) consists of the gradual loss of contact between the tire and the road surface. The cause is the entry of a thin layer of water, (thicker than half a millimetre), between the tires and the road. As a result, he front wheels lose grip, float and stop contacting the asphalt. In this situation, the driver loses control of the vehicle because it is no longer possible to brake or turn.

For those who have never experienced this situation, a similar example may be slipping on an black ice.

Keep in mind that if there is a small amount of water on the asphalt, the tires will be able of shifting the water sideways, and there will be no problems. We must be more attentive to large accumulation of water that form on the road and will be hard to manage by the tires. Speed will also be a significant factor, the faster you go, the less time the tires will have to displace the water. Wider wheels are also more prone to hydroplaning due to their larger contact area.

How to avoid aquaplaning?

Follow these specific recommendations in addition to regular vehicle maintenance in order to reduce the chance of hydroplaning:

• Check the expected weather conditions before the trip. It will help you get an idea of what to expect and tailor your driving accordingly.
• Check the tires. These must always be in good condition. As mentioned before, tires in poor condition have a greater tendency to hydroplane.
• Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden maneuvers that can cause the lose traction. Sudden changes of direction on wet surfaces are not a good idea and can cause hydroplaning. Therefore, take special care when cornering.
• Always be alert. If you drive while raining, there is not only the risk of hydroplaning but the braking distance increase considerably.
• Watch your speed. Wheels tend to lose grip more easily when driving at high speed. The higher the velocity, the more the risk of aquaplaning.
• Follow the path of the vehicle in front. If you are driving behind other cars, you can follow your line, always maintaining a safe distance.

 

What to do if aquaplaning occurs?

When you notice that your vehicle has started to hydroplane, it’s essential to remain calm. Avoid sudden braking: although instinct invites you to use the braking pedal, it is not very convenient. You will not be able to stop the car because the wheels do not have traction, and when the grip returns, if the wheels are blocked, the skidding could increase. Nor do you have to continue accelerating: instead, gently release the gas pedal and wait until the slide ends.

In conclusion, always keep your car in good condition, check the weather conditions before leaving home in order to be prepared, if raining, try to drive slower (being mindful of speed limits) and if despite the precautions your car hydroplanes, be calm, hold firmly the steering weal, release the gas pedal and wait until the slide ends.

Modern Training Cars

The Importance Of The Seat Belt.

The seat belt is, according to the World Health Organization, one of the inventions that has saved the most lives.

These are a safety package with the other main restraint systems, such as the airbag, child restraint systems and head restraints. But we must know that the latter can be ineffective if we do not wear the seat belt.

The belt is the most important element for passive safety since it acts as a brake on our body in the event of an impact. Contrary to what it might seem, the seatbelt is not used to prevent passengers from moving in the event of a collision, but rather to cushion their deceleration. Also, the belt is made to stretch; it is not that its fibres are elastic, but rather that they are woven to lose width and gain length in order not to cause serious injury to the user.

When riding in a vehicle, especially a driver must bear in mind some very important questions regarding the seat belt. For example, in frontal collisions, wearing a seat belt divides the risk of death and serious head injury by nine, and reduces the risk of injuries, fractures and other injuries by a quarter. And in the event of a rear-end collision, it cuts the risk of death or serious injury by half. Wearing a seatbelt in the rear seats is as important as doing it in the front seats as it prevents excessive displacement of the occupant in the event of a frontal impact, as well as a joint movement of the seat and passenger in the event of a side impact. On the other hand, the passengers behind go exactly at the same speed as those in front and are subject to the same deceleration in the event of an impact.

In 1958, Nils Bohlin, a Volvo engineer, patented the three-point belt; a year later it was offered as standard on all the brand’s models. Since then, the seat belt has become the best passive safety system. According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seatbelts saved the lives of nearly 10,000 people in 1995, or about 27 lives a day.

The crash tests that are carried out with mannequins are also sure to sound familiar to you. They are 1.74 meters tall and weigh approximately 76 kilograms, the force exerted on the belt in the event of an impact is 1000 kg! and the body moves about 25 cm forward. Can you imagine an impact without a belt?

Types of belts.

There are currently four types of belt, some more effective than others:

• Thoracic (very little recommended separately).
• Sit-ups (typical of the rear central square that already tend to disappear).
• Harnesses (typical of racing cars)
• Mixed or with three anchor points: The most common, a combination of the abdominal and thoracic, reduce the displacement of the body. Brands already incorporate this type of belt in the rear central square, replacing the abdominals, to improve safety.

For the correct use of the seat belt it is important to consider the following:

1. Each and every front and rear seat occupant must use it.
2. The fabric band must not be worn, cut or have damaged edges.
3. The top tape should go over the shoulder and not across the neck or throat.
4. The lower belt should cross over the hipbones and not the stomach.
5. It should be fastened without folds and snug against the body.
6. It should be used in short or long stretches either in the city or on the highway.
7. A pregnant woman should also use it, the abdominal band should go as low as possible on the hips since if it is carried on the belly, the baby could suffer some damage.

Remember that the correct use of a seat belt reduces the risk of death by half and reduces the severity of injuries in the event of an accident.

Are you afraid of driving in winter?

Winter is coming, and you may have been thinking: “Well, I won’t be able to drive my car now.”.

WRONG. We perfectly know how different it is to drive in snow, mud and black ice and how dangerous it can be. But that’s one of the reasons why we are experts on teaching winter driving skills. We have been doing this for decades. You will be ready to drive like a true professional, stay safe and continue with your daily life without having to leave your car behind.

And how can we achieve this? It’s a fact that cold season brings an increase in road accidents, even when drivers had taken driving lessons they usually take them in summer when there is no snow. This is why some people don’t know how to drive in harsh climates like winter, because yes, it’s different a very different experience driving on a clean road than on a slippery one where it’s hard to see.

So now you know, even if you already know how to drive or if you are new at this, you must take driving lessons in winter. This is the best way to keep yourself and others safe!

Learn to Drive a Stick Shift