Calgarian learns to 'dance' with her car

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When Calgarian Misia Rajzyngier was learning to drive, she took accredited driver training. The security of learning with an instructor made her feel sure she’d be fit for the road. She was 17 at the time and didn’t get her licence until she was 18. That’s when Rajzyngier bought her 2005 BMW 3-series from her parent and safely drove away.

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But last year she took part in the BMW Club of Southern Alberta’s Tire Rack Street Survival training program. The experience was something of an eye-opener for Rajzyngier, who was 25 at the time. She says, “The (Street Survival) program teaches you how to dance with a car, how it moves and functions, and how you’re really an integral part of the car when you’re behind the wheel.”

First hosted by the BMW Club of Southern Alberta (BMWSCA) in 2018, the Tire Rack Street Survival course was a tremendous success. A second event was held in 2019, but COVID restrictions didn’t allow the specialized driver training, which is aimed at young drivers with less than 10 years of driving experience, to run in 2020 or 2021. The 2022 event was very popular. It sold out, and there were more students on the wait list for 2023 than could be accommodated in a single-day school. So, this year, the club has decided to offer two separate sessions. On Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4, the BMW club will present its valuable driver training at the Calgary Police Training Grounds.

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This location, Rajzyngier explains, “provides a safe area where you can push your car to certain limits and understand how it responds.” Before Rajzyngier got behind the wheel of her car with a driving instructor at the Tire Rack Street Survival school, she spent time in the classroom. She says she learned something basic driver training never taught her – the importance of correct tire air pressure.

“I knew what a tire pressure gauge was, and how to use it, but that wasn’t taught in my driver training program,” she says, and adds, “(A)t the Street Survival school, students were given an air pressure gauge and shown where to locate tire pressure specifications for their vehicle, and how to use the gauge. We also learned how to properly set up our mirrors for better blind spot coverage.”

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When Rajzyngier got into her car with an instructor, correct hand position on the steering wheel was discussed. “I was taught in my previous instruction that 10 and 2 was correct,” she explains. “Here, I learned 9 and 3 is a better position for overall vehicle control and safety. It’s also a precautionary safety position in case the airbag ever went off.”

From that point, Rajzyngier learned what driving her car with two wheels on the pavement, and two wheels on the dirt and grass shoulder, felt like at speed. This gave her confidence should she ever have to swerve to avoid an obstacle or other danger on the highway. Next, she learned how her car would react during a panic stop from 50 or 60 km/h, and then how it would respond in quick manoeuvre scenarios.

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As Street Survival program head coach Gary Coleman notes, a driver can either stop or drive around an issue, but that’s a decision that needs to be made almost instantaneously, “and you need to know how your car will handle those inputs.”

Slalom exercises, Rajzyngier says, taught her to look farther ahead and also gave her the opportunity to become much more familiar with her BMW’s handling dynamics. To give students an opportunity to understand the blind spots of a highway tractor and trailer, CCA Truck Driving and Training provided an 18-wheeler for demonstration purposes.

“Cars are positioned beside, in front and behind the rig,” Rajzyngier says. “Then, we each got to sit behind the wheel of the semi, to experience what a truck driver can and cannot see. The blind spots are amazing, and I found that exercise very helpful.”

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Finally, there was a skid pad exercise. “They wet down the track, and you get the car to lose traction, and then regain it,” she says. “Again, that helped me immensely with driving on snow and ice, and it taught me to trust my car and how to stay in control.”

In order to participate in Street Survival, students do not need to own a BMW, nor do they need to be members of the BMWCSA. The ‘daily driver,’ so long as it’s safe and street worthy, is the ideal vehicle for participation. It’s $125 per student to attend, and lunch and refreshments are included. Visit www.bmwcsa.ca/tire-rack-street-survival/ for more information.

Rajzyngier concludes, “Anyone would enjoy doing this, and the training brings a level of confidence behind the wheel. It allows you to understand how to react to certain driving situations without panicking, and I know I’ve used a lot of the techniques in my daily driving.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca