9 Things That Could Save Your Life In A Car Crash--And No, Matt Dillon Has Nothing To Do With It

A car crash is one of the most terrifying things you can experience in your lifetime, and yet it likely every time you get in a vehicle and travel somewhere.

But are there ways to prepare against a car crash? Are there certain things you can do to increase your likelihood of survival or even mitigate major injury?  Here are a few things you can do:

1. Wear your seatbelt: The seatbelt can prevent you from being thrown around the cabin of the vehicle, through the windshield or a side window. It is the most primary way you can increase your ability to survive a car crash. Make sure that the lap belt goes below your stomach--not across it--and across your pelvic bones. It's the bones that'll keep the seatbelt from causing trauma to your stomach and mid-section.

2. Drive the speed limit: The slower you go, the less likely you'll be greatly injured. Your car takes up the majority of the force when it's slow; however, during a collision at high speeds, the impact overwhelms the vehicle's ability to absorb it, and thus it is transferred to your body resulting in greater injury. By driving the speed limit, you are reducing the energies transferred from the car to your body.

3. Sit upright in your seat: Have you ever leaned forward against the steering wheel of your vehicle while you're driving? After reading this, you won't do it again. Your seatbelt only resists forward motion when you're seated right back in your seat. When you're leaned forward, there is nothing to resist the seatbelt to lock it into place. Moreover, if you have airbags and are leaned against the wheel while they activate, the force from the bags can throw you hack and cause further injury. Same if you have side airbags and like to lean against your side window.

4. Drive a safe car: Driving that 15 year old vehicle may be saving you some money on your monthly bills,  but it may not be a very safe vehicle. Technological advances in automobiles have surged over the past decade, making vehicles safer on the roads. When buying or leasing a vehicle, look for those that have traction-control, a good airbag system, and, at the least, anti-lock brakes.

5. Remove loose items from the vehicle's cabin: The last thing you need when colliding with another vehicle at 100 kilometres per hour is last years Christmas mug (the one from aunt Bunny replete with antlers) being hurled at your head--worse yet, your son's collection of extra-heavy bug and reptile books. Put all loose belongings in the glove compartment or trunk before travelling.

6. Make sure your pets are safe: A pet during an accident can become a dangerous projectile, injuring itself and those around it. Try to keep your pet in some kind of restrainer while travelling.

7. Make sure your car's engine, suspension, brakes, steering, and tires are all in good condition. You don't want to be disabled from avoiding a major collision because your tires are bald, your suspension is shoddy, or you find last minute that your brakes don't work. Keep your vehicle maintained to ensure that you have the greatest chance of car-crash survival.

8. If you see crazy drivers, get away: There's something about a bat-outta-hell driver that gets me going--I want to see if in the next few minutes he's (it's often a he--well at least 95% of the time) going to crash out while attempting to shoot up the tailpipe of the car ahead of him. But this is not a sound approach--you're supposed to just get right out of the way, in the event that your hunch is a correct one, but you find yourself in the accident. Crazy drivers can trigger all kinds of emotional responses--it's best to avoid them.

9. If a car crash is inevitable, try to do the following:

• Avoid a head-on collisions or front-end collisions into other objects in front of you
• Lower your speed (see #2)
• Avoid side-impacts. The side of the vehicle is more vulnerable than the front or rear. 
• Where brakes are ABS, don't pump, just press firmly on them and steer the car where it needs to go.

This may sound like pure basics; however, it may make the difference at the moment of impact between you and another vehicle.

How Meeting Jeff Probst Is Not The Only Way You Can Become A Survivor

How many times do I sit there watching Survivor saying to myself or my wife watching with me how much I would love to be out there with just simple tools, no grocery stores or wifi or iPhone--just nature, a handful of castaways and...howler monkeys. 

I imagine myself abrading a hunk of wood smoking raw and magically stirring it into a living breathing food-cooking water-boiling immunity-earning fire; I have fantasies of climbing trees with my bare feet and calloused hands ripping down coconuts and cracking them open with my teeth and imbibing the water from their pith; I dream about being the ultimate survivor--move over Boston Rob! 

But then when I really think about it, I realize just how totally uneducated and ill-equipped I am skill-wise to last even a few hours on one of those dreadful islands; and that the doofus I bust my gut laughing at is probably ten times more capable than I am. 

When I think about that, I get down; I realize that instead of a sole-survivor, I'm a tech-geek middle-aged dude with a rabid imagination and superman complex. Thank God Canadians aren't allowed on the show--I may have been stupid enough to try out!

While this may be amusing to write about, survivor skills are actually critical in this rapidly changing world we're living in. Indeed, as Rainer Stahlberg writes in his gripping book, The Armageddon Survival Handbook: How to Prepare Yourself for Any Scenario, where we live we can expect any of the following:

• Extreme winter weather
• Tornados
• Heavy rain fall
• Flooding
• Chemical Spills
• Political instability
• Fires

The world we are living in is wrought with tension and unpredictability. During the Calgary flood--a total freak accident without precedent in almost 100 years--bottled water was cleaned out of the grocery stores. In the ice storm just last winter, people were eating cat food out of cans for lack of power to cook. What if those people had some kind of kerosine stove? What if Calgarians effected by the flood had an ample water-supply in a flood-resistant part of their home?

In past posts I've talked about the importance of having first aid kits for your homes and cars, as well as exit strategies from your homes in the event of fire, security threat, etc. But Stahlberg's book raises a number of critical things you should be doing right now to begin a general disaster plan:

1. Make a list of disasters that can happen to you, then:

• Take a first-aid course and learn about animal care after a disaster
• Find out about local warning signs and plans.

2. Create a disaster plan:

• Discuss with those closest to you what to do in different situations
• Prepare an evacuation plan
• Decide on places and contacts to reunite with your family and loved ones

3. Put your plan into action:

• Have emergency numbers with each member or your group
• Review your insurance coverage
• Accumulate equipment and supplies
• Install smoke detectors and have ABC-type fire extinguishers
• Find escape routes from your home and safe spots inside for different kinds of disasters. List the hazards in your home as part of this planning

4. Update your plan and conduct drills:

• Update your plan as the situation changes every six months
• Test your equipment routinely and update your batteries and perishable supplies
• Replace stored water every 3 months.

This only touches the surface of all that Stahlberg writes about in his Survival Handbook. I highly recommend this book and those he lists as further reading. 

There is also the skills part of it all: your ability to survive in the outdoors, or have access to places outside of the city where you can set up a base camp. We take our modern world completely for granted, unaware of how security is a chimera and tomorrow can look radically different from today. 

Think about it...

The most important thing is that you begin now the conversation--if you haven't already--with your loved ones and close friends. There is a growing brittleness and fragility in our world shot through with unpredictability. The best thing we can do for ourselves and loved ones is prepare ourselves as best as we can--to insure that we have the greatest chance of surviving the unknown.

Why You Might Feel Like This Guy Right Now

You get in your car and check for cops--coast is clear! You ease out of your parking spot and drive deliberately under the speed limit like a fugitive on the run, checking your rearview mirror every half-second, and avoiding police cars like your mother in-law's quiche. Have you robbed a bank? No. Are you drinking and driving? No. Have you hit-and-run? No. 

Worse: You haven't renewed your license plate sticker.

It's such a trivial thing: go to a ServiceOntario centre, stand in line for 45 minutes on your lunch hour, pay $98 (plus HST) and you're good to go. So what makes it so difficult?

I have a friend who drove around for months with an expired sticker. He's not a dead-beat either--he's an accountant. Nevertheless, he told me that he felt like a fugitive on the road feeling like at any moment he'd be pulled over and nailed with a ticket. "And what about," he worried, "if I got to the registry office and they hit me with a mega-fine, or tow my vehicle?" He didn't know. The unknown got to him, and he put it off even longer. "So what happened?" I asked, "Did you get busted when you re-registered?" "Naw," he shrugged, "Nothing happened--I just paid 100 bucks and got my sticker. All that worry for nuthin'."

So let's unpack this:

• If you get pulled over today on your way home from work, and your sticker is expired, what can you expect? According to the Highway Traffic Act, the fine for an expired sticker is $110. 

• When do your plates expire? The plate expires on the birthday of the owner under whose name the vehicle is registered. 

• Is there lenience? Will Ontario let one drive till the end of the month of one's birthday? It depends on the police officer: some may let you go, but others will serve you a ticket.

• What about driving in other provinces? If you are driving in Quebec with an expired license plate sticker, the fine is $450. Before you travel out there, make sure your plates are up to date.

• Is there an easier way than driving to the office and waiting in line over your lunch break? Yes: You can renew your sticker online from 180 days before the expiry date of you license until 11:59pm on the day of expiry. However, any time after that, you must renew in person.

So if you're driving like a fugitive, get thee to a registry office--it's no biggie, just a lunch break. You'll have peace of mind, and you'll avoid paying an extra $110.

10 Reasons Why You Need To Stay Out Of The Fast Lane

Oh no you didn't! Driving slow in the fast lane? Really? Just sitting there while all those cars are backing up behind you flickering their high-beams and getting irritated as all get out?!

Here are ten reasons why you need to stay out of the fast lane:

1. You drive too slow, but you don't know it. One of the main issues with people driving too slow is that they actually don't know they're driving that poorly, and often are over-confident in their driving skills. Also a lack of real-time feedback (though I don't know how much obvious honking horns and flashing high-beams can be) is a reason why people seem to just not get it.

2. You're not willing to drive the speed of left-lane traffic: If you're uncomfortable with going over 120 kilometres per hour, then it's best to stay out of the left-hand lane, in which the average speed is more like 130-140. If you can't take the heat, stay out of the lane.

3. You're more interested in your iPhone 6 than the cars ahead of you. If you really--just really really really (ya right!)--have to text, then swerving back and forth from left to middle lane is very dangerous. Traffic in the fast lane is dynamic: a lot of stop and go and people cutting in and out. Pull over and text.

4. You're with your family on a 'comfortable drive'. The left lane is for those who really need to get somewhere; but of course that 'need' is a relative one. Do you really have to gun it at 140 kilometres per hour to get to your in-laws' house? Why would you make your family members nervous or uncomfortable or in any way put them at risk? 

5. You're too cocky for your, or anyone else's, good. Pride comes before a fall. How many people do you see in the left-hand lane who make you cringe because they're driving a half-inch from the bumper ahead of them, only to slip into the middle and one-inch from the semi-truck ahead of them, only to hardly pass the left-hand lane vehicle and slip back in half an inch from the vehicle ahead. You're going to kill somebody one day--if not yourself, then somebody else.

6. You're driving a semi-truck. No we don't want to see your swerving and nearly-tipping backside in the lane while you're cranking it up to 130 to pass the semi-truck that was ahead of you. And we don't want to be stuck behind a two-lane steel wall established across the left and middle lanes. Truck really should be relegated to the right hand lane, and banned from the fast lane.

7. You're intoxicated. You shouldn't even be driving--forget the fast lane...

8. You drive an exotic sports car. I feel for you, even though you make me feel nothing but envy: I can't imagine how frustrating it must be keeping your car between first and second gears unable to really let it perform as it was designed to and for which you paid all that cash. Either take it back to Europe where it belongs, or find yourself a speed track. Frankly--it's too painful to watch, like a stallion used as a mule horse. 

9. You have a heavy brake foot. Unless it's an emergency, braking hard on the highway, or even slightly, freaks people out--let alone those cruising at 130 kilometres an hour in the left lane. If you're in the left lane and have the wiggles with that brake peddle, get into the middle or even right hand lane. Those who drive well in the left lane are looking way ahead, and all that braking causes alarm, not to mention a chain reaction that can cause an accident further back.

10. You're in a new city. If you've got your GPS drumming out the next instruction for getting from A to B, it's probably wise not to whip it up the left lane: your cut-off could come up any minute, or, being unfamiliar with flow of traffic, patterns at certain off-ramps, or even driver friendliness for letting people into their lane (in Calgary, for example, people will let you cut in last minute--try that in Toronto!). Take it easy, travel alone the right lane, and, when need be (e.g. getting out of the way of slow-pokes) take the middle lane. 

Shocking Ways Your Wifi Environment Is Making You Sick--And What You Can Do About It

I am on a wireless network right now writing this post, while my wife and my in-laws watch a movie to the left of me in the living room--also on wifi. My children and dog are sleeping down the hallway, but are exposed to the wifi rays, as are my sister in-law and her husband in the apartment below, the former of whom is two months pregnant. 

This is the average technological set up for most homes in Ontario: computers, internet t.v., smart t.v., wifi networks, cell phones, laptops, tablets. But it doesn't end in the home--there are always 'smart schools'.

A growing phenomenon in education is ubiquitous wireless networks, and in many private schools it is not uncommon for computer to student ratios being at least 3-1. 

Is this safe? Do wifi environments effect our health? And if so, how?

Canadians 4 Safe Technology's Frank Clegg on Canada AM, July 10, 2014

Enter Frank Clegg: former President of Microsoft Canada, for fifteen years, now heading up a non-profit organization called C4ST (Canadians For Smart Technology). In an article for Vitality Magazine, Frank Clegg calls wifi and the microwave radiation such networks emit, called EMRs (Electro-magnetic radiation) an "invisible threat." Here are some striking quotes from that article:

"Since 2011, governments around the world have alerted their populations to approach wireless devices with caution. In Belgium, it will soon be illegal to sell or market “kiddie-phones,” mobile phones that are specially designed for children. "

"In France, the government “recommends limiting the population’s exposure to radiofrequencies – in particular from mobile phones – especially for children and intensive users."

"In India, both the State of Rajasthan and the City of Mumbai have passed laws prohibiting the placement of cellular antennae on the roofs of hospitals and schools and in playgrounds because they are hazardous to life."

But what is the link between wifi and health ailments? One of the issues is called "electrosensitivity" that is related to over-exposure to radiation. Electrosensitivity is not an allergy like those you're born with, rather it develops over time the more you are exposed to radiation. With wifi becoming more ubiquitous in our world--from routers in almost every urban public place to the growing number of cellular towers--more people are complaining of effects of electrosensivity. In Austria in 2012, the Austrian Medical Association listed the following symptoms as guidelines for diagnosing illness caused by EMRs: 

"Sleep problems, fatigue, exhaustion, lack of energy, restlessness, heart palpitations, blood pressure problems, muscle and joint pain, headaches, depression, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, anxiety, urinary urgency, anomia (difficulty finding words), dizziness, tinnitus and sensations of pressure in the head and the ears, tightness in chest, hyperactivity, irritability, noise sensitivity, burning sensation in the eyes and skin conditions."

Peter Mansbridge, CBC News: Wifi Health Risks at Schools

Another major issue with EMR exposure is the impact on children, especially new born babies and foetuses. Another Austrian study concluded that exposing babies and young children to EMRs increases their risk of developmental complications in the future.

In grade-school children, exposure to such radiation has shown, based on MRI research, a decrease in brain activity that, ironically, shows that while wifi networks are put in schools to enhance education, they are actually thwarting it. In fact there is research showing that wifi networks are causing ADHD and increased learning disorders.

Here are some other risks of EMR exposure:

1. Reduction of brain activity in females
2. Neutralization of sperm
3. Possible impact on fertility
4. Provokes cardiac stress
5. Possible link to tumour development

So what can you do to keep yourself and your loved ones at less risk of over-exposure to EMRs? The following tips will help you:

1. Keep your cellphone away from your head: use headphones and keep it out of your pocket. If you have to carry it around in your pocket, then put it on airplane mode.

2. Do not have your cellphone next to your head, on the dresser or end table, while you're sleeping. Again, if you must, for alarm purposes etc, then keep it on airplane mode.

3. Children should not be on or near cellular and wifi devices, such as cellphones and tablets--and they should not be used as toys.

4. Forward your phone to your landline when you are at home.

5. Unplug your wireless router at home both when you're not using it and when you're going to bed.

6. Keep babies cribs away from wireless routers and do not expose them at all to wifi.

7. If you are so inclined, you can also get involved with Canadians 4 Safe Technology and participate in raising awareness of the dangers of over-exposure to wifi and EMR. 

Why Tron Is Not Too Far In The Future Of Driving (or, The Current Convergence Of Electric and Self-Driving Cars)

Remember that movie back in 2006, Who Killed The Electric Car? Well, those who tried to kill it weren't expecting the disruption that is Tesla: A different kind of car company that began in the midst of Silicon Valley operated by dot-commers, sports car enthusiasts, and car industry experts, and CEO'd and invested in by a computer geek running an e-commerce company. Now, in a recent Globe and Mail article written by Peter Cheney, the Tesla Model S (Tesla's first 4-door sedan) has driven from San Diego California to Whistler B.C.: a six-day journey that Cheney describes below:  

"By the time I was done, I’d travelled more than 2,800 kilometres, all without a single drop of gasoline. I powered the Model S by plugging in at Superchargers (a network of high-powered recharge points that Tesla has assembled.) My fuel cost – zero."

What's striking about this journey for Cheney is that his past was spent fixing up Porsche's in Vancouver, spending "[his] days rebuilding engines, tracing down vacuum leaks, and adjusting carburetors that wandered in and out of tune like fickle musical instruments." And now with the Tesla, there is no internal combustion, no transmission, and no need for gasoline--his whole education and knowledge of cars has been rendered obsolete.

"Now I was passing through my former home in a car that rendered all this technology obsolete: the electric Tesla Model S. In this vehicle there are no pistons, no valves, and no transmission. Instead, there’s a battery, an electric motor, and enough software to run a mission to Mars."

This is the power and beauty of disruptive innovation: when what was important information and knowledge is rendered obsolete by a better, cheaper, bolder solution. The car batteries are powered by Superchargers (a network of high-powered recharge points that Tesla has assembled (a series of which will be opened in high-volume routes in Canada: "Model S owners will be able to drive the following routes by the end of the year: Toronto to Montreal, Montreal to Quebec City, Vancouver to Calgary, and Calgary to Edmonton," according to the Globe and Mail.)

But what about those who can't afford a Tesla, or want other e-car options?  Kia Soul EV ($35,000-$38,000); Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid ($86,000), Panamera S E-Hybrid ($110,000), 918 Spyder ($845,000 USD); BMW i8 ($145,000), i3; Chevrolet Volt; Nissan Leaf ($31,798); Smart ForTwo ED ($26,990); Tesla SUV all-wheel drive Model X; Cadillac ELR ($78,250).

Again, this is the result of disruptive innovation: the way in which the electric car has begun to revolutionize not only how we drive cars, but how we fuel them, and the technology that controls them. What would happen if cars no longer drove on oil? We are already seeing car mechanics becoming a disruptive landscape with computer geeks growing in number--consider again the statement above about the Tesla Model S: "enough software to run a mission to Mars." 

That said, in another recent news story, legislation is catching up to the already extensive Google test-drives of driverless cars: The California Department of Motor Vehicles has rewarded Google and two car manufacturing companies to allow for 29 vehicles to be dispatched on highways and neighbourhood streets. According to the Globe article,

"Google’s souped-up Lexus SUVs are the biggest fleet, with 25 vehicles. Mercedes and the Volkswagen Group of America have two vehicles each, said Bernard Soriano, the DMV official overseeing the state’s “autonomous vehicle” regulation-writing process. A “handful” of other companies are applying for permits, he said."

 The DMV is beginning to draft regulations for driverless cars once they are ready for public consumption. 

What we're beginning to see is a convergence of technology: The electric car gaining momentum just as the electric car is quickly working out the kinks to emerge on the roads. How long will it take for the driverless car to become as popular as the electric car? 

Think about it this way: How long was it from the time of "Who Killed the Electric Car" to its widespread emergence on US/Canadian roads? Not very long, in retrospect, given that there was so much opposition. Lawmakers seem to be quite open to accommodating the development of self-driving cars, which could make it's ubiquity sooner than many of us think.

This Man Was One Of Many Tech CEOs Who Limited His Kids' Use Of Technology--Why You Should Too

Have kids? Prone to sticking them in front of a screen to keep them quiet while you're cooking dinner or checking your mobile phone, or shopping, or just too tired to deal with them? Do you have kids who insist on playing their mobile devices, video game after video game, or just "needing" to email or text their friends, or all three?  Or how about the seemingly most banal and well-intentioned decision to allow your kid extra time to do homework on their computer? 

How do you think the top tech CEOs run things in their households regarding screen time? 

In a recent New York Times Article, aptly called, "Steve Jobs Was A Low-Tech Parent," Nick Bilton shares a 2010 phone conversation he had with Jobs after the latter reamed him out for an article he wrote on the iPad--an insight into Jobs's family life that blew him away:

"So, your kids must love the iPad?” I asked Mr. Jobs, trying to change the subject. The company’s first tablet was just hitting the shelves. “They haven’t used it,” he told me. “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

This revelation got Bilton interested in how other tech CEOs and venture capitalists orientated themselves to technology in their homes. His discovery should give us pause: 

"Since then, I’ve met a number of technology chief executives and venture capitalists who say similar things: they strictly limit their children’s screen time, often banning all gadgets on school nights, and allocating ascetic time limits on weekends."

Bilton notes that Chris Anderson, the former editor of the high-tech publication, Wired, and now the CEO of 3D Robotics, a drone maker, has seemingly rather severe limits on his children's screen time. Anderson explains:

“My kids accuse me and my wife of being fascists and overly concerned about tech, and they say that none of their friends have the same rules,” he said of his five children, 6 to 17. “That’s because we have seen the dangers of technology firsthand. I’ve seen it in myself, I don’t want to see that happen to my kids.”

And those dangers that Anderson describes are those such as bullying, pornography, and becoming addicted to their devices as much as many parents are. 

If this is the case that CEOs of tech companies really have such stringent rules around screen time at home, why is it that in most other homes, the daily average amount of time kids are spending in front of devices is surging? What these CEOs know that many do not know, or perhaps know but don't seem concerned about, is that time in front of screens is harmful to kids. 

In the Learning Habit Study, a research study put out this month in the American Journal of Family Therapy, it is shown, based on the habits of 46,000 homes across America, that screen time affects all aspects of a child's life.  For instance, the research shows that after 30 minutes of screen time per day, the child's grades show a steady decline; after 2 hours per day of screen time, the drop in academic performance is drastic. And it's not just academic performance, but also a disturbance of sleep patterns, the amount of time it takes for a child to fall asleep, and, in cases of high amounts of screen time, a greater chance of social volatility and lack of integration.

In our next post, we'll give tips for slowly but steadily drawing your kids away from their screens and integrated into healthier activities.

7 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Think You Have The Flu

Your head is throbbing, joints cramped up, staggering like Norm from his favourite Cheer's stool but you haven't touched a drop of alcohol. Are you tired, burned out, fatigued--or do you have the flu? There are all kinds of weird flus going around these days. Did you know that one of the most common infections--contagious infections--among children under 5-years old is Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, and can be easily transferred to adults through nose and throat secretions--and even dirty diapers? When I first heard of it, I thought it was a result of hygiene-deviance, or eating bad meat (there is a distinction between Hand Foot and Mouth Disease and Foot and Mouth (or Mad Cow Disease). 

Nevertheless, here are basic signs that you indeed have the flu--in case you are confused about that (it's pretty easy--once you realize it). If you are confused about your state (especially if you have a tendency to catastrophize your life or you are a known hypochondriac), ask yourself these simple questions:

1. Do I have a temperature of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit? Am I feeling feverish?

2. Do I have a cough or dry, sore throat?

3. Is my nose runny or stuffed up? (Perhaps ask yourself this prior to eating any foods containing MSG) 

4. Do I have a headache and general body aches? (ask yourself this question only after you've completed your quota of coffee, chocolate, and/or other caffeinated products)

5. Do I have the chills? 

6. Am I fatigued?

7. Do I have nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea? 

There is a difference between the flu and common cold: flu symptoms are more severe, particularly the fever, cramping, chills, fatigue, and cough. Your doctor can help you determine this difference, should you need it clarified. 

If you have answered yes to a number of these questions, and you're generally feeling like trash, then give yourself plenty of rest and liquids. 

However, according to flu.gov, if you are experiencing a persistence of the following symptoms, find the nearest walk-in clinic or emergency:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Purple or blue discoloration of the lips
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Seizures
• Flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough

5 Things You Need To Do When You're Being Pulled Over For Speeding

You know you're busted: the flashing lights in your rearview mirror, the siren, the racing heart--now what? One thing you can be almost completely sure of: It's not Erik Estrada. 

From the minute you're being pursued by a police officer, your behaviour is being monitored and will impact whether or not you get a ticket and even the severity of penalty. Here are five tips for what to do when you've been pulled over for speeding.

1. Pull over: As soon as you see the cruiser's lights flashing and hear the siren, turn on your right turn signal and begin making your move to the side of the road as quickly and safely as possible. It's also important right off the bat that you're showing cooperation. Pulling over as quickly as possible also allows you to get a sense of where you are, the surrounding conditions, and other factors that may help you if you decide to contest the ticket.

2. Turn off engine: Once you're safely pulled over, turn off the engine, roll down your window, keep your hands on the steering wheel--where the officer can see them--and wait. If it's dark, turn on the interior lights of your vehicle to enhance your and the officer's vision. Don't make any sudden movements. Do not stare at the officer through your rear-view mirror--this can be perceived as confrontational. Take a deep breath and try to relax your body and mind.

3. Be courteous: Police are people too: they have feelings, and are simply doing a job at which they may be having a bad day or night. Appear as non-threatening as possible, and even ask how the officer is doing. Respect and understand that you have committed an offence, and lose the attitude. If you are confrontational, the likelihood of getting a ticket will increase; act with respect and courtesy, and there exists a chance that you'll either be let off the hook, or receive a reduced fine. 

4. Don't make sudden moves: Many crimes are uncovered during a routine pull over for speeding, so it's best to not make any sudden moves knowing that the officer is in a vulnerable position approaching your vehicle. Keep your hands where the officer can see them (on the steering wheel is best); and if you need to reach into your right hip pocket for your wallet, simply ask the officer if you may do so--the same goes for needing to reach into the glove box for registration, etc. 

5. Don't admit to guilt: There are some sources that warn against admitting to speeding, because the officer will simply write you up, and add your admittance to his/her notes on the ticket. This will cause complications if you attempt to appeal it in court, for you've already admitted to guilt. However, if the officer is about to write you up, there is opportunity to ask the officer politely if you may be issued a warning instead of a ticket, especially if you weren't driving aggressively, but simply let the peddle drop. Do not make any admittance, but simply ask for the warning. Don't be surprised, however, if you get a ticket anyway.