Playground Zone: Driving Test Fail

image of playground zone signQuestion: Our daughter failed her road test due to not reducing her speed to 30 km/h as she drove through a playground zone. We don't understand this because there were no signs were present.

Headlights 101

HID HeadlightsLong winter nights mean we spend more time driving while using our headlights. All headlights are not created equal according to the IIHS, so some vehicles are safer to drive at night than others.

Hauling Firewood Safely

secure your load graphicHeading out to collect some firewood for the winter this weekend? Fall was always a good time to watch for pickup trucks with pyramids of firewood in the back on our highways. When checked they were often illegal, and unsafe, in three ways: unsecured load, overweight and a danger to vehicle occupants if the pickup was involved in a collision.

Forming a Rescue Lane

image of a rescue lane on the highwayWhen a crash occurs on multiple lane highways in B.C., drivers tend to stop in the same lane position that they use when driving. This often creates significant difficulties for emergency services, large fire department vehicles in particular, because there is no rescue lane for them to drive to the scene in.

Docking and Backup Lights

Backup LightsAs is often the case, today's article comes from what I see around me as I drive. I was passed by a cube van with one white floodlight on the right rear illuminated. The driver of a truck tractor with no trailer pulled in front of him using the right lane and flashed his docking and backup lights a few times. The offending driver didn't get the hint and his backup floodlight remained on.

Avoiding a Rear End Collision

image of a rear end crashPerhaps the most common collision type in British Columbia is the rear end crash. ICBC reports between 22,000 and 25,000 of them each year. How do you protect yourself from being involved in a rear end collision? Here are 10 suggestions for steps that you can take to keep yourself safe.

Are Your Tires Worn Out?

image typical of bald tiresPlace two average adult feet side by side on a piece of paper and draw a box around their edges. The area of this box is about the same as the area of your tires in contact with the road on an average automobile. Tires are your only contact with the highway, and collisions result when that contact is lost.

Bins on the Road Shoulder

image of a cyclistQuestion: I cycle along a rural road near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The road I am talking about has a 60 km/h speed limit and a marked one metre wide shoulder on each side. On garbage pickup days some people place their residential bins on the shoulder. When that occurs cyclists are forced to move over into the roadway. Is this practice allowed?