Butch Evans has spent 34 years teaching people how to drive, and as the owner of Be Smart Driving Academy, he’s pretty much seen it all.
“I don’t trust people at a four-way stop, I don’t trust people at a red light,” he said. “In Anchorage, 70 percent of the time, people fail to stop at a red light.”
We spent less than an hour driving with him, and the violations started piling up. One driver failed to stop at a stop sign, and another couple drivers went through a four-way stop before their turn.
Along with following the rules of the road, Evans says there are a few things drivers need to do in winter weather.
“Clean the windows of ice and snow — state law — leave the house a little bit earlier, leave a bigger gap [between you and the car in front of you],” he outlined. “And everything you do, you want to do gingerly.”
He showed us the do’s and don’ts in a vacant parking lot.
“What gets people in trouble [is] they corner too quickly, they steer too sharply,” he said, showing us how we lost some control of the car taking a sharp right turn, but had full control taking it slow.
But Evans said real driver safety starts before you even get behind the wheel.
“You gotta prepare for winter, and I don’t think most people do,” he said.
We asked him who makes a better driver — a lifelong Alaskan, or someone who has just moved here from Outside. His answer may surprise you.
“When you first get here, the winter intimidates you, so you want to take as much safety precaution as you can, so a newcomer is thinking, ‘I gotta get this, I gotta get that,'” he said. “Where the guy who’s lived here for 40 years, you know, we’re just a little slower behind the curve to get the things up to speed that we should.”
As more snow starts to fall, he hopes everyone who’s procrastinated gets prepared fast.
Friday, February 17 2017 12:06 PM EST2017-02-17 17:06:28 GMT
Thursday, June 21 2018 4:03 PM EDT2018-06-21 20:03:55 GMT
You’re my friends now. We’re having soft tacos later. Yeah but I don’t know how to make myself go there. Maybe it might never happen again. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Put a little fence around it! Ralph Waldo Pickle Chips! I don’t know him.Pony Lords, jump for you
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
Thursday, February 23 2017 9:17 PM EST2017-02-24 02:17:22 GMT
Thursday, March 16 2017 1:27 PM EDT2017-03-16 17:27:38 GMT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
Monday, August 27 2018 5:26 PM EDT2018-08-27 21:26:00 GMT
Tuesday, May 5 2020 10:40 AM EDT2020-05-05 14:40:00 GMT
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel efficitur diam, ut tempus lorem. In laoreet velit eget magna malesuada, sit amet mollis diam pretium. Suspendisse vulputate erat et maximus commodo. Proin ullamcorper, neque quis commodo vMore>>
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel efficitur diam, ut tempus lorem. In laoreet velit eget magna malesuada, sit amet mollis diam pretium. Suspendisse vulputate erat et maximus commodo. Proin ullamcorper, neque quis commodo vMore>>