Photo: iStockphoto

In our Driving Tips That Could Save Your Life post last year, the top tip was about holding the steering wheel properly.

When I last took a driving lesson, the prevailing wisdom was that your hands should be on the wheel at the 10 and 2 positions. But the best hand position on the steering wheel is actually 9 and 3.

With your hands at 9 and 3, you have better control of the steering wheel and it's also safer if your airbag deploys. The higher up your hands are on the steering wheel, the more likely they are to be in the way if the airbag inflates, which can lead to fractures or worse.

To further elaborate on 9 and 3 thinking, our Ultra 94 safe driving expert Brett Goodman, owner and race director of the Bridgestone Racing Academy, has made a video covering this topic! Check out Brett's steering wheel tips in the video below (English Only):

See more of Brett's Safer Driving Through Performance Thinking tips on the Ultra 94 Facebook page.

- Rose R.

Photo: iStockphoto

We've talked about fuel tracking apps and general driving apps on PumpTalk but with tax season upon us, we thought we'd feature three more handy smartphone apps that track your mileage for business purposes.

You know…for those of us who are tired of using the backs of Petro-Canada receipts and a pen to keep track of our business miles.

One of the top rated mileage-tracking apps on both iOS and Android is Triplog GPS Mileage Tracker. It's free to download initially, but has some features that you have to pay in order to upgrade (cloud storage, generating reports, etc.) It tracks your mileage using GPS and its unique "auto-start" feature makes it easy to get started tracking as soon as you start driving.

This TripLog demo gives you an idea of how the TripLog app works for a variety of business people:

Photo: iStockphoto

It's been unseasonably warm and sunny spring here in Vancouver and now that it's April, I'm waiting for that other, rainy shoe to drop. One of the benefits of living in Vancouver is that I rarely have to worry about driving through ice and snow - but with our frequent rainfall, hydroplaning is a real danger.

What's hydroplaning?

Hydroplaning is the skidding that can occur when your car tires come into contact with a wet surface. When the grooves in your tire can't sufficiently scatter the water on the road, your tires lose traction on the thin film of water between them and the asphalt. When you hydroplane, you temporarily lose braking and steering control, making it dangerous for you and anyone else on the road.

Any wet surface can cause hydroplaning, but when are roads the most slippery? The most perilous time is during the first 10 minutes of a light rain, when the water mixes with oil residue on the road, creating extra slippery conditions.

How to avoid hydroplaning

Photo: iStockphoto

Last year, we were thrilled to welcome our partner, CAA South Central Ontario, as guest bloggers here on PumpTalk. This year, they're springing into action with these tips for spring car care, to help get you road ready for the season to come!

Plus, check out their previous post, Bike Safety Tips for Summer Driving - it's especially relevant now that the weather is heating up and more bikes are hitting the street.

Your vehicle has survived the harsh winter and with the lure of long weekends, cottage getaways and road trips, it's time for a spring check-up so you don't get left at the side of the road.

CAA South Central Ontario recommends: