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~1 PAGE 22, WHITY MUPRESS9 WEDNESDAYsEFEBR2~19 by JiI Mclntosh Calendar chaos Thirty daye hath November.. unlesa, cf course, youre looking at the New Car calendar. Elvery calendar, from the temple stops 0f the Aztocs te, the familiar weelcs and montha of the Gregorion version, tries te make orgonization out 0f chaos.. Auto manufacturera -spend their time doing exactly the opposite. They have always had a problem with dates: they build a car ini the summer, soUl it in the foU and date it for the foilowing January. No wonder they have such problems keeping their apopitients. Tothe rest of the world, this is indeed stli 1991. But my husband anid I both work with new cars, heon the asaembly lino and I in a- dealership. Frankly, fw've been woring with 1992e for montha now, and we haven't a clue just wbat Year it is. .When someone asks my age, I have -te do mental arithmetic. Last nmght, we threw out a jar of mayonnaise because it expires two months, from now. And the wine in zny1 celar. might be vintage, but Fim not really sure. Whenever I get a paycheque, I have te ask the bank if it's postdated or stae-dated, juet in case 1991« doeent exiet anymore. As for my bils, weil, my credit card is either two years behind, or 'm paid up until next spring. As if it isnt bad enough being a year ahead, the factory thon throws shifc work at us. F or two weeks each month, my husband is leaving for work just as I corne home, and Fin getting up when ite time for hlm te go te bed. Hie teday and mine, already one year out, have now been scrambled a further 12 hours. "Did you make my doctor's appointment?' he asked me the other morning/evening/mniddle of the night. *'1You asked me that yesterday' t I said. "'Tour appintment is today." You meon tomorrow," ho said. "Today is over." "Today is here now," I said, but ho reminded me that it wouldn't be today until tomorrow. At 3 a.m. that makes a lot more sense thon one would think. Finally, I crawlod out of bed to check the calendar. For most people that would end the argument, but remember, our lives are governed by the New Car calendar. That version showed that my husband's appointinent would fal on a Sunday. We gave up, went bock te bed and hoped that ho would get botter on his orn Now don't think tha we aren't trying to adapt te, the New Car clendar. We pay cash for everything, and we go to walk-in clinics where appoitmnt aren't necessary. We do not accept invitations te dinner parties, and we haven't been te the movies in -- well, we're really not sure, but we know it's a long time. Birthdays have been indefinitely postponed, which may not be such a bad thing after ail. And through ail of this, we are desperately, intonsively, fervently saving money. Every penny is hoarded and rushed down ta the bank. SEE PAGE 24 The high speeds and traffiei volume on today's rade have made, drivNg cha complex skIdl thtmany learnors now turn to prfessional instructors for help. But driving ochools con bo started by anyone with. a business licence, so some are better thon others.' It can be hard for consumera to make the right choice. "There are probably more than 400 driving sehio1s now operatingr in Ontario" saye axZ> Gurevsky, of theMIinistryOf Consumer and Commercial Relations. "The content and quality of classroom, instruction con vary greatly fromn one ochool to another." The everyday rules of shopping smart apply to choosini; a driving ochool, too. Asking friends ana family to recommend prograins is a good first stop. After that, a few phono calis to several schools will provide information that con help avoid problems, later. Here are somie quiestions that should be asked. *What suid~ects are covered? Most new-clriver courses include tho basics needed ta oa the provincial road -test. Slfns and signals, proper turns, passing and intersection etiquette will be issed. Some courses ciTer extra material on defensive driving,'rik pretio)n and city or hhway driving as part of the rell arpodo2n. acourse reduco the students auto-insurance rate? The Ontario Safety League (OSL) has develope3d guidelines for the content'of driver-training programes for its affiliated members ond maintains contacts with the insurance indutry. Students who successflly complote courses at OSL -- approved schools normally buy their first auto insuronce at the rate of a person who has driven accident-free for three years. e How much t'une is spent i the, classroom and on the rond? Bath the Ontario Safety Loague and the Minisro Transpolrtation'a Ra Worthy' program, which is used in 'high-school driver-education classes in Ontario sy rinn progromns shoulâ aoffer nia nmmum of 25 hours 'in the clossroom, and 10 behind the wheel.'The OSL standard doesn't say how much tinte should ho suent watching -other students driive, but Road Worthy recommends 20 hours.. *What trainmng facilities and eq i~> t are pr-ovided? 1fl'ving-school facili#ios can consist of onything 'from a héle-in-the-wall 'office with a couple of chairs ond a telephone te on elaborato set-up of video enupmentb, vehiI-s:ifnulators nd off-rýoad proctice areas. Schools thatempbasze defensive driving and crisie contrai may use high-tech help te teach the student what te do if a tire blows or a child runs in front of the cor. *Doos the roam clde use of the trinigvehicle during the gavernment road Use of the vehicle and the instructor's time te wait for students taldnhg the:'pro'vincial road test at. the end of 'the rogram often involve an extra fee. Some. schools don't. offer. help the day of the test. *WhatkIdoo cr insbst fer learnng Most experts agree it's best for student drivers to, learu on a vehicle similar in size and- operation te what theyl ho driving when they're on their own. Clearly,"someone who learus on a sub-compact, may have trouble handling a pick-up truck. Students often say they wont te learn on cars with standard transmissions. But mony driving schools recomniend they wait until they have access te a standard vehicle for practice -- thon came bock ond take one or two special leasons. 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