Does a Good Driving Record Count in Traffic Court?

Q&A ImageQuestion: I had a clean driving record until last week when I received my first ticket in 41 years of driving. I had recently started driving taxi part time and at the end of a 9 hour shift I dropped the taxi off and got into my own car. Five minutes later I went through a school zone without slowing down, having missed the school zone sign.

Planning to Become a Better Driver

image of a Wise OwlI've joined the ranks of the senior citizens and my last formal driver training class was in the late 1990's. With that in mind I was wondering about planning to become a better driver. ChatGPT offered some advice, but I still had to correct some of it. Here's what AI shared with me in response to my question after my edits.

Was It Dangerous Driving?

BC Courts Coat of ArmsThe initial supreme court decision on the case of R v Hecimovic made me scratch my head. Ms. Hecimovic was charged and acquitted of dangerous driving after causing a collision in a Pitt Meadows. The behaviour was clearly dangerous to me, but the court didn't look at it that way.

Is Left Foot Braking Acceptable?

image of Left Foot BrakingI am occasionally asked about the practice of left foot braking. The usual justification given for this is that the brakes may be applied more quickly because the left foot is ready while the right foot is busy with the accelerator pedal. While there are different schools of thought on whether this is appropriate for highway driving it may not be a good idea for the average driver.

Bollards: A Lesson for Drivers

image of 3 traffic bollardsBEEF To the city for all the bollards everywhere making sure we drive ‘in the lines.’ How is it that these make our streets safer? Would this not delay an emergency vehicle?

Fail to Transfer Ownership of a Vehicle

Question: image of lady justiceI have friends who sold a car and months later they received information that the car was in an impound lot. The purchaser had failed to register the car in his name and since the car was still registered to them they were legally liable for the bill. What does one do when the buyer fails to transfer ownership of the vehicle?

Pedestrians Crossing Improperly

image of sign warning of pedestrians crossing aheadMy question regards the right of way of pedestrians who are in the roadway illegally, i.e. they have disobeyed a control signal or have failed to yield to traffic as per section 180. The thought came to me after watching a YouTube clip from the United Kingdom, intended to illustrate proper horn use.

Police Should Target the Crazies

image of police officer writing a ticketQuestion: I just came back from a trip I thought I would see what you have to say about an issue that bothers me about how the police do their job. One can not drive very far without encountering one of what I call the crazies. The driver who drives like a fool, way too fast for either weather or road conditions, passing when its not safe and generally putting everyone in his or her path at risk.

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.