YOU too CAN SAVE money while SAVING the PLANET! Just ask me for details!

c. Jeff C. Pope, Canada’s 1st EV Driving School 2020.

By 2040, fortunately at least 75% of all vehicles will be zero-emission. In an effort to join forces with Pope Francis, Greta Thunberg, and the Green Alliance, (law makers of B.C., Quebec, and all of European Union EU).
A Formula 1 Driving School NOW takes action to SAVE our beautiful planet. In an effort to SAVE our children, animals, and ecosystems, we have committed to teaching you & Our Children in a fully sustainable battery electric vehicle (BEV). We are phasing out the dirty harmful  internal combustion engine (ICE), that is so outdated, and lethal, it has now gone like the ICE age!  May we join forces  to eradicate polluting carcinogenic fossil-fuels which funnels wealth to only  1% of humanity?   Let’s keep this blue planet BLUE!  DRIVE with us on our MISSION to SAVE our planet, and our CHILDREN’s LIVES!  Together, let’s educate them about sustainable options, a smart healthy lifestyle, and to love our planet, and one-another!

WHICH of YOU,  will GET  INTO the CAR, and  take the Driver’s Seat with me on this journey?

Come join US, and GET INTO our EV CAR!  After all,  our KIDS are worth it!

RIGHT?!

Jeff C. Pope,
Owner, Master Instructor
A Formula 1 Driving School
(416) 888-1227
www.af1.ca

Skip to 1990 and General Motors came out with the GM Impact, or EV-1, the perfect car.  Too perfect! The car could traverse all day long, journey to work, shop, AND the kids’ soccer game without range anxiety or loss of power, just what the consumer wanted.  Unfortunately, the usual forces namely Big Oil, and the big three car manufacturers were complicit in deposing this test-car which was only available on lease to a select few ( Leo Di Caprio, Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Ed Begley Jr.) and a few lucky every day plebs to boot. (See Doc :”Who killed the Electric Car”). Moblil Exxon (Esso) wouldn’t tolerate having zero profit, nor would the dealerships profit from oil changes, fuel and oil filters, coolant system and transmission flushes. All GM Impact vehicles were recalled, and then crushed in a secret junk yard in the dessert.  A conspiracy you say? Well, yes.  It happened before in the early 1900’s when all San Francisco’s new fleet of streetcars were suddenly inexplicably scrapped.  The city then bought GM buses with (Harvey)Firestone, tires, and ran on (Standard Oil SO)  Esso (JD Rockafeller) (Rudolf) diesel. (True, look it up).

Finally, we now have a man the Pope can be proud of: Elon Musk.  This wunderkind ditched Queen’s computer classes as they bored him. After a venture selling a computer company and inventing then selling PayPal to EBay, he founded Tesla Motors Inc of California.  When they went public recently, against all odds he became a Billionaire.  Now he divides his time between Space X Co. sending missions to the International Space Station, and his pet “man to Mars project”.  Meanwhile his Tesla all-electric vehicle has evolved from the Lotus Elise chassis through to a gorgeous platform S-, X, Y platforms. He built Solar City, an enormous desert battery factory,  which his cousins run.  He plans on halving the US $70,000 cost by putting out a boomer mobile model “X” for US $35,000.00.  Subtract the current $5,000 grants from our federal  governments are contributing to this green technology, then add in a $1000 charge for the purchase and installation of the garage charger, and voila, you’ve got the perfect automobile.  The car of the future, the proverbial perpetual-motion  machine, well, you get the idea.  Elon Musk is a genius, Elon Musk is secretly Iron Man, Elon Musk for President!  But alas, what about those 250,000 Americans making sub-standard fossil-fuel guzzelling, polluting inferior dinosaurs?  And what about the 250,000 American military (plus 2500 Canadian) personnel fighting for our Lithium stake in Afghanistan? Lithium is the primary metal found in large quantity found only in Afghanistan and also in Argentina (look for an upcoming invasion?!) All car batteries, laptops,and cell phone/ipads, etc)  : Look at “Why We fight”, Toronto Star c. 2005.  But, for our Crusaders, reaping the benefits far outweighs the negatives. Our economy is in constant state of flux, we must learn to adapt, or become extinct.  Think no more pollution, no more noise of diesel engines, overweight mid-lifers on mufflerless Harleys, fish and wildlife returning to our rivers and streams due to the lack of Sulphur Dioxides (SO2) and respiratory destroying, Covid-19 bonding Nitrogen Oxides (NOx),  in our atmosphere?. Much less cancer rates without tiny particulate of carbons, a lack of nitrogen oxides allowing our soil to regenerate and become fertile once again. Our climate would rebalance itself, carbon in the atmosphere would reabsorb itself in harmony once again, fulfilling the Pope’s encyclical.  Mankind would once again be in synchronicity with Earth and Nature.  Only human greed would be our one true foe to fight to rid ourselves of.  Perhaps those displaced auto workers and soldiers could then combat the palgues of our society: Poverty, Ignorance, Racism, and the unequal distribution of wealth.  Yes, we can achieve all of this, if only we GO ELECTRIC NOW?  I for one will be buying the GM successor to the 1990 EV1 Impact: a  Chevrolet Bolt Premier for my next car.

Jeff C. Pope is an Educator and Writer

Any implied relationship to His Holiness Pope Francis, is purely coincidental.

These helpful tips steer A Formula 1 Driving students toward a successful driving career!

1. Never dry steer! Mover your car lightly by lifting off the brake pedal, THEN let the car MOVE steer with fast hands, and slow car. This allows you to measure and control your car.

2. Keywords “PULL” or “TURN” mean BLINDSPOT AND SIGNAL! When the examiner says, “Pull over, pull out, Back Right/Left, turn left/right”, communicate immediately by signaling, and turn your head and LOOK, then plan how, and where to execute the maneuver!

Believe it, or not, 90% of all driver tests boils down to HOW you behave behind-the-wheel for a short duration of time. In Ontario, the G2 tests last for only 15 minutes; the G is a full 30-minutes-long test.  HOW you behave in the test situation depends on HOW you feel, what you think about during the test, what your perception and awareness of the traffic scene, and HOW you input that sensory information into your brain is equally as important as HOW you behave in terms of HOW you react to that stimulus, Your surrounding field of vision, in terms of what you see around you, and then, the examiner will scrutinize your reactions in a very specific manner: this will determine the success to pass your driving test.

This all sounds quite complicated doesn’t it?  Well, it’s not.  Simply surround your driving-self with the ” Force of the 5-W’s “:  WHAT is around me?  HOW do I set up my next maneuver?  WHERE should my car be, in what lane, how do I follow the examiner’s next direction?  WHAT is the posted speed limit?  WHAT is my actual speed?  HOW do I show the examiner my head turn, simulating attentive caution before every intersection.  WHAT should I be doing right now? (SCANNING the traffic scene every 10 seconds, checking all 3 mirrors on the G2 city test, and every 5 Seconds for the G highway test). Do I LOOK opposite direction just as I am turning?  WHAT lane should I be in? (Remember the right lane is the driving lane, left is only for passing, then you must merge back to the right).  WHERE am I going? (If I miss the examiner’s instruction, I must ASK questions immediately, otherwise you’ll be blamed for not following directions!).

HOW we feel, is HOW we DRIVE.  If you have a preconceived notion that you will FAIL your test, and you anticipate a negative result, do yourself and your driving teacher a favor, and postpone your test!  Have Good Intentions, Be Attentive; COVER the HORN with both thumbs through intersections, when passing long lines of stopped traffic, or when passing peculiarly parked vehicles, near pedestrians, etc. SURROUND yourself with the winning circle of energy via the aforementioned “5-W’s”. Be attentive to the instructions of the examiner, and you have the recipe for success!

Similarly, WANTING the PASS with all your might, oddly ends in a negative result.  Have you ever heard the expression, “as soon as I stopped looking for love, it  found me?”, OR, “soon after I stopped searching for that job, I had an excellent job offer the next day?”.  It seems, that if we invest our emotions into a driving test which tests legality, and is a practical, logical functioning test, we suffer negative consequences.  Should we have all of our friends and family in the old country rooting for us?  What happens the next day if we let all of those people down?  I’ve seen hundreds of students literally not care anymore, after struggling with the driving test, once or twice, and now they exhibit apathy towards the test.  NOW the student is ready to get their license.  Try to find a peaceful centering of your mind-body-heart-SPIRIT, and enter into the test relaxed, and of course prepared with adequate practice, I can tell you, it’s near IMPOSSIBLE to fail!

Being ready with experience on the road is important, but it seems to account for only 10% of your test success.  How you feel, What happens physically on the test route, and unfortunately the personality of the examiner, all determine the result of your test. COMMUNICATE with the Examiner! Ask questions; let them know what you are thinking in any tricky situation.  Use your horn in any danger, to prevent a jay-walker, to alert a pedestrian that it is their right-of-way, cover the horn with your two thumbs (remember your hands must be a 9 and 3 o’clock on the steering wheel), whenever you go through large intersections, or proceed to turn left through them. Look at ALL 3 mirrors with EXAGGERATED head movements every 5 seconds.  ENFORCE the law, again by using the HORN to alert other motorists that it is your right-of-way at an ALL-WAY stop sign.  Only stop ONCE at an ALL-WAY, and then proceed to take your right-of-way.  Be prepared to stop TWICE at a one-way stop (a ME-ONLY stop sign), if you cannot see properly. But only stop ONCE at an ALL WAY STOP.  Trust your EYES, they will see movement quickly, warning you to stop.  TRUST your common sense, or intuition.  Your gut feeling is always correct.  Our anthropological development has taught us to survive!   Be Alert.  Be Aware.  Beware of the other road users.  Anticipate the movements of those around you, and be prepared for the worst possible scenario in the driving field, and have a plan to counteract it.  Is that car slowing to a stop behind me, while I’m stopped at the light?  Is that pedestrian going toward the roadway?  Is that elderly driver reversing down the driveway straight onto the road?  (Use your horn immediately for BAD movement flowing toward your intended driving path), and reason aloud your actions in ANY sketchy situation, let the examiner know WHAT you’re thinking! (Active Countermeasures).  TELL the examiner it’s UNSAFE to stop, if you end up going through an AMBER light.

These tips will lead toward your successful driving careers. They will allow you to pass the 30-minute road exam. REMEMBER, you’ve done a lot harder things in your life before;  learning a new language, getting married, buying a house, being interviewed for a job, training for a new job, raising children.  This should be a cake walk for you!  Actively learn to utilize, and employ these tips effectively, dear driving student, and you will SURVIVE the dreaded Driving Test!

My wish for you, is to fulfill your personal goals by passing, thereby enriching your life skills, with confidence, greater skill level of road safety which comes with experience, and enliven yourself spiritually with the unique gifts a driver’s license will afford you: a better job opportunity, an easier commute, more freedom of mobility, and the confident knowledge that you have achieved success, now you can apply it to other areas of your life!

Best of luck on your road test, remember, whatever happens, you are still loved by many.  You will only fail if you give up trying.  Einstein once said, “by the act of failure, we are one step closer to achieving our success”, if we learn from it.

The recent law prohibiting drivers aged 19,20, and 21 from consuming ANY alcohol is an updated example of what we’re talking about here.  Minister Kathleen Wynne claims that over the last 10-years in a recent study, 235 young people were killed in motor vehicle crashes due to or associated with alcohol.  No doubting statistics.  But, hasn’t there been tens of thousands of Ontarians killed during the same studied period? So the MTO is passing a law outright, affecting this tiny sub-goup of drivers?  Ridiculous!  Shouldn’t government be spending my tax dollars, taking up valuable time in Queen’s Park Parliament passing laws that affect the majority of drivers?  Shouldn’t studies, and monies be spent on finding out what exactly the other 99.9% of drivers are dying of, and therefore passing laws to prevent this?

Should our government be administering the testing procedure in a more responsible manner? The drivetest centers which only observe a driver over the span of 12-15 minutes, before releasing him onto our roads, are heavily criticized for merely allowing the training of drivers to pass this measly test.  Such a short time to observe, and judge drivers!  Since when did someone die commuting a parallel park?  Why is this useless task even on our road test?Such a waste of valuable time!   Wouldn’t the drivetest benefit from observing drivers on more left turns, high-speed lane changes, highway merging, and responding to emergency manoeuvers?  Should drivetest examiners with a bad reputation for their lack of people skills be tolerated?  Check out the www.drivetest.ca  website: now hiring examiners at $13.57 per hour wage!  And they are the “experts” on safe-driving?  Any clerk job, or senior fast-food outlet worker routinely earn more money.  This, unfortunately is the caliber of the now Steel Worker’s Union Local drivetest road examiner.  Pity.

Our whole testing system needs a MAJOR overhaul!  Just because someone is lucky enough to pass a simple written test (20 obvious signs and 20 random driving laws, now available in 18 languages), they can automatically drive on Ontario’s roads with a licensed driver!

If someone passes their M1 (motorcycle written test), they now can magically drive alone on a motorcycle up to 80km/hr, or an automobile with a licensed driver!  ALL M1/G1 drivers, as well as G2 and G-licensed drivers can magically then drive ANY   Manual-transmission equipped automobile !  Does this make any sense at all?!

Limo, ambulance, bus and truck drivers must pass a physical medical exam to continue to operate heavy machinery, some with the public as passengers.  Yet, the drivers do NOT have to retrain regularly, or at all, for life: Licenses A,B,C,D,E,F!  The same for novices: G and M.  Once you pass the test at age 18, say goodbye to retraining or testing for the next 62 years!  Only seniors must pass a written and eye-test every 2 years after age 80, but NOT a road test unless they fail either eye or written tests (or have an “at-fault” collision after age 65).  This system is simply shocking!  How many times do you see trucks routinely merging on the highway at half the posted limit (a VERY dangerous behavior normal drivers would automatically fail a drivetest).  Or, have you ever viewed how some truckers like to tailgate each oter (1 meter distance between), at highway speeds?  Truly, the lack of police enforcement is  astounding.  Perhaps the Ontario Trucking industry’s Association’s claim that trucks transport $13 billion worth of goods in our economy has something to do with the fear of enforcing rather obvious traffic laws.

In Europe, testing is stricter.  Applicants must take a test on a manual transmission car to drive it!  Graduated licensing is much tougher.  The test for driving in Britain includes city, highway, and country locales and is an hour in duration.  Hardly anyone passes it the first time.  Automatic drivers are prohibited from driving manual vehicles.  In eastern Europe, a mechanical-knowledge test and practical application test is incorporated into the licensing test.  In Italy and Israel, age restrictions of 18 must be attained before anyone can obtain a full license.  In Germany, England, and Italy (where I’ve extensively driven), hardly any speed limits are enforced.  Yet the crash rates of these drivers are much lower per capita.  What are we doing wrong?

Driver Education in Ontario is NOT mandatory.  Should it be?  Again, good driver ed is hard to come by.  But we’re improving as an industry.  Besides being annually inspected, we must meet stringent standards regarding minimum 20-hours classroom studies (plus workbook homework), and a minimum of 10-hours of in-car instruction.  But, ALL driving schools are NOT MTO-Approved.  Some driving schools are on the “watch list”, but the MTO does little to discourage them.  Similarly, good schools are left to their own when it comes to updating traffic laws, or communicating ANY new developments in driving law, or education to the general public.  More than 100,000 students are licensed by the MTO per year, adding to the complex nature of driving on our already clogged roads.  Yet the Ministry does a poor job of communicating with her approved-status schools.  Leadership is non-existent. Does the MTO even care is you get a good driver education?  If they did, there would be a mandatory minimum price of $1000 for quality driver education, similar to Japan and Scandinavia.

Good driving schools are being constantly squeezed by this lack of direction, no communication, and the unending cycle of unapproved schools being allowed to exist.  Schools that are cheap, cheat the system, cut valuable in-class time, shave hours in-car, and merely teach to pass a 12-minute test are putting your lives, your family’s lives, and your child’s lives in jeopardy!  Do you even care?  Or, are you merely interested in the lowest cost to teach your loved-one how to drive?  Do you take an active role in the selection of a driving school?  All good schools will allow applicants to sit in on an in-car or in-class lesson for free.

You must remember, we are teaching the most valuable skill to children whom must compete with 1-million cars per day speeding across the GTA.  You choose to spend thousands of dollars on soccer, swimming, dance, and music classes (plus costs for travel and tournaments) for the children, but you will NEVER spend this amount on the vision-training, life-saving skills needed to drive an automobile! Shame!  The average cost of a Canadian car is $35,000.00.  Insurance to drive per year is on average $3000 here in the GTA.  Gas costs on average $50 or double to fill up weekly.  Yet, driving schools try to maintain high standards, and hire quality personnel, highly trained to teach your family member the skills to survive.  All for $20/hour?  Ridiculous!

As long as we treat the complex skills of DRIVING (the psycho-social, behavioral science), as casual, non-mandatory, not life-threatening, the average death-rate will continue to grow.  Don’t expect leadership from THIS, or any future government!  Educate yourself! The tools are out there.  Buy the best driver training you can possibly afford.  Retrain yourself regularly! Don’t rest on your laurels, nor anyone else’s, or you’ll be Resting in Pieces!

Graduated Licensing was introduced to Ontario in April of 1994.  It mandates ALL new drivers to Ontario write a simple written test (G1), and undergo a simple city test (G2) and a highway test, to graduate to a full G license , within a 5-year period. Teenagers can get their G1 on achieving their 16th birthday, after a simple vision test, and pop-quiz of 40 questions, with a minimum score of 32 out of 40.  With driver training, they can achieve their G2 license after 8 months, and now legally drive alone, at night, on the freeway, in mid-winter conditions, in either automatic or standard transmission.  Whether they receive adequate training is the question!  One year later, our hypothetical teenager, now aged 17 years, 8 months old, can apply for the G-highway test.  A simple reiteration of the G2 city test, (15 minutes), plus merging on-off the highway, and “voila”, no more testing from the Ministry for another 62 years!
The next 62 years, unfortunately may greatly affect us on the road: you, me, our kids, our parents, and our loved ones.  Is the Ministry negligent in putting us all at risk due to improperly trained, and improperly tested drivers on our roadways?  I am a G1/G2/G training specialist. I routinely renew between 3-5 licenses yearly in order to teach, and maintain my “Approved Driving School Status”.  To maintain an MTO approval,  I further need to pay for licenses to teach provincially, locally, both in the car, and in the classroom.  I must maintain yearly checks on certification of all company cars,  yearly audits checking business records, background checks of all Instructors, criminal searches, compliance checks for all full-course students, renewals of:  business license, owner/operator’s license, provincial license, demerit point records check and finally proper insurance checks.  All approved schools must pay premiums for a minimum coverage of $2 million insurance liability.  We driving instructors are routinely charged 500-600% more than our domestic driven family cars in order to teach an applicant.
I was shocked to learn that most truck driving instructors do not need to uphold a driving instructor’s license, nor have specific training to instruct. They need only have the category specific license to teach ie. A,B,D, etc.  Perhaps this is one reason we see truckers become unprofessional drivers on our roads.
Yes, I believe ALL drivers should be tested at a high skill level every 5 years!  Truly, if the new Minister of Transportation, Kathleen Wynne is serious about her Oath-of-Office, unlike old “knee-jerk” Bradley, whom is now demoted due to his inaction in handling the drivetest strike,  she will enact prompt proper legislation protecting the privilege to drive on our public roadways!  Ontario’s public deserves better drivers.  Are we courageous enough, and willing to take the next step in our graduated licensing system:  Should we have mandatory driver ed for all new drivers?

Should the current Liberal government enact mandatory testing for ALL drivers every 5 years?  If we don’t, we have much to lose.

See what the Ontario Safety League has to say about A Formula 1 Driving School: Top Twelve Driving Schools

Dear Sir or Madam:

The most recent audit conducted by the Ontario safety League indicates that A Formula 1 driving School had no violations of the Ministry-approved course content and delivery standards. To date the OSL had conducted 274 Inspections and found 12 course providers without violations and you are one of the 12.

I wish to congratulate you on achieving this distinction and trust that you continue to deliver the high standard of education to the students and contribute to making Ontario’s roads the safest in North America.

Your commitment to following the course content and delivery standards is appreciated as they were developed to ensure the Ministry of Transportation’s commitment, along with its partnership safety, the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Ontario Safety League, in improving road user safety.

In today’s complex driving environment the beginner driver requires prerequisite knowledge and skill. Beginner driver education is an important first phase of road user safety and it is critical to provide opportunities for beginner drivers to receive a wide range of knowledge, skills and retraining.

Your commitment to this objective is appreciated and it is with partners like you that we can make our roads safer.

Yours truly,

A.L(Bert) Killian
President and General Manager
Ontario Safety League

The company managing Ontario’s 55 road test locations Serco Drivetest DES Ltd, has been on strike now for 3 months!  It seems their 250 full-time employees quietly joined the USW (Steelworkers) Union, local 9511, in the hopes that they could bully management into letting into the Union,  the additional 280 part-time contract employees, entitling them also to full benefits.  Let me ask you, my clients, did you get a raise this year?  Are you entitled to job-security, and full benefits? Are you automatically under the protection and strong workers rites under the umbrella of such powerful unions?  Well I am not.  What gives these people their sense of entitlement?  When the economy is struggling out Canada’s current recession, these 250 USW union members are holding this Province, and it’s backlog of 300,000 applicants waiting for a road test hostage.  Enough is Enough!  I urge you to write to your MPP’s, and write to  Premier McGuinty as I have done. Urge them to step in, and put a quick sobering end to this political mish-mash nonsense.  It is the Ontario Government’s responsibility to oversee, and administer the Serco Drivetest company, to ensure we voting taxpayers, we 300,000 disgruntled voters, to provide what we have paid so much in taxes for: the right to take a driving test!!!

Too many seniors need to requalify for a driver’s license after attaining the age of 80.  Medical suspensions dealing with life-threatening medical conditions such as epilepsy, and sleep apnea, which demand an evaluating driving test, are now still driving untested!  Hundreds, if not thousands of foreign drivers, and expired-licensed drivers are driving each day untested. Truck and Bus drivers in need of retesting are on our provincial highways daily untested. This poses a huge safety and insurance risk to all of us.  Are insurance companies going to give coverage to those killed and injured on our roadways to drivers with expired licenses? I think not!   Any excuse to possibly deny coverage will be used against these motorists.

We Canadians are a passive people.  Little has been said in the media, or done in protest to bring the plight of more than 300,000 affected individuals to the forefront.  This must change!  Premier McGuinty, this is YOUR responsibility to end the strike NOW!  Your government oversees and administers these tests. At a time when your Ministry could be recouping a lost revenue of $800,000.00 daily, in this tough economic recession, to delay further is madness! Do not under estimate the disenfranchised seniors, commercial drivers, and soon-to-vote new drivers, we are watching while you continue to do nothing, we will not forget when it is our time at the polls to vote.  It is your action NOW, or continued inaction that WILL be your political legacy!