DriveSmartBC

Have you ever wondered why we have so many traffic rules? There are rules about where you drive, how fast you drive, who goes first, where you stop and even when you are allowed to turn.

Finding a vehicle that appears to have been abandoned can leave you wondering who is responsible for removing it. The answer depends on where the vehicle is and the circumstances in which it was left.

A long vehicle turning right can create a confusing situation for the driver following it. The vehicle may move to the left before beginning the turn, apparently leaving room to pass on the right. Is passing actually allowed?

A B.C. Supreme Court appeal has upheld a Provincial Court ruling that split liability 50/50 between a road maintenance contractor and a driver after a single-vehicle collision on icy pavement near Smithers. The case, Billabong Road & Bridge Maintenance Inc. v. Brook, 2011 BCSC 297, turned on how quickly the contractor was required to sand a known icy stretch of highway once it was spotted — and whether it met that standard.

Short answer: Yes. Under BC's Motor Vehicle Act, an intersection doesn't need painted lines to legally have a crosswalk. If sidewalks exist on either side of the road at that intersection, an "unmarked crosswalk" exists between them — and a pedestrian crossing there has the same protection as someone crossing at painted lines and a sign.

A DriveSmartBC reader has asked what happens when a driver approaches a stop sign on a road covered with snow and ice, applies the brakes and the vehicle slides through the intersection.

A new report from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) contains a startling statistic: in 2023, 41.2% of the road deaths in its Canadian database involved at least one driver who tested positive for drugs. Alcohol was involved in 29.3%. The findings are contained in TIRF's Drug Use in Fatal Collisions in Canada | 2000-2023fact sheet.

A DriveSmartBC reader asked what rules apply when a vehicle is towed from a business parking lot. The situation involved a large commercial lot serving several businesses, limited signage and a vehicle towed shortly after it was parked.

I've had readers ask me about glasses with yellow lenses that are marketed as night driving glasses. The claim is that the yellow tint reduces glare and increases contrast, making it easier to see in darkness.

In 2008, Kelowna lawyer Paul Hergott wrote an article titled Drivers Need to Smarten Up When Out on the Road. He began with a blunt observation: “We've got ourselves a serious attitude problem.”