Leslie Campbell
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 18/98) - Motor vehicles can be a source of pride or your worst nightmare.

Knowing what you should and shouldn't do when in control of a motor vehicle is literally a matter of life and death.

In the United States alone in 1996, one person was killed every 12 minutes, five people died every hour and in a 24-hour period, 119 people lost their lives tragically. All resulted from motor vehicles accidents.

So, what can you do to avoid becoming another statistic?

According to Norm Pottinger, driving instructor and owner of Arctic Defensive Driving school in Yellowknife, taking a defensive-driving course is a start.

After all, "85 per cent of accidents are preventable by the driver," says Pottinger. Pottinger teaches defensive-driving courses featuring one-on-one driving instruction, bus-driver training and motorcycle instruction, anywhere in the NWT.

A defensive-driving certificate for Class 5 drivers requires 15 hours of class instruction and 10 hours of one-on-one driver training.

And Pottinger believes everyone should take a defensive driving course and also added there are incentives, including cheaper insurance rates for those who have the certificate.

"Many people are unaware of the road rules," he says.

"Kids learning how to drive have to learn how to corner properly, lane change properly and do a second shoulder check for pedestrians."

But it's not just new drivers that Pottinger says need to be more cautious.

"I've evaluated older drivers and many do shoulder checks, but as they get older they use their mirrors more instead of shoulder-checking, but they should be doing both. Especially because of people who are on bikes or rollerblades, because you can't hear them coming."

Some young drivers who have completed a defensive driving course realize the importance of developing safe-driving habits.

Randy Reason, for example, is a 17-year-old student at Thomas Simpson high school in Fort Simpson who has been a licensed driver since September 1996. He completed driver education at the high school.

Reason is all for defensive driving. "I recommend it. A lot of people out there think they are good drivers but they may not know all the safety things. This course makes sure you do."

"I now watch signs more often, watch speed and the people around me when I'm driving," he says.

Reason says he's learned the proper way to drive and his record remains clean and, "it brings my insurance down which is cheaper for students."

So, it would seem that learning to drive defensively can save you some money, but more importantly, it can save lives.