DriveSmartBC

I remember putting chains on my father's tow truck and plowing snow with the front bumper at 30 mph to go and drag a hapless motorist back onto the highway. I also remember my time in northern BC where one didn't leave the driveway without a shovel, tow rope, extra winter clothing, tools and a collection of small spare parts at this time of year. Are you really ready for your next trip in winter conditions?

This is a video from SAAQ in Quebec produced for a speed and distracted driving awareness campaign in 2020. The speed display in the video is showing real time traffic speeds from a pole mounted radar unit at the filming location. It's a striking visual reminder of how fast we often drive through a school zone.

There sometimes seem to be two types of people when it comes to the sounds emitted by their vehicle's mufflers: those who hate it and those who try to balance calling attention to themselves yet not provoke a response from traffic law enforcement.

Question: My 89 year old father voluntarily restricted his driver's license after an at fault single vehicle accident 5 years ago. He is now limited to local driving only. While recently vacationing in Washington State he asked “can I drive here?” I wasn’t sure as lives in Lillooet B.C.

Daniel Prediger was issued a traffic ticket for speeding at Isle Pierre and appeared in traffic court represented by counsel before Judicial Justice Adair to dispute the allegation. The lawyer raised two issues, the officer using a memory aid to assist in testimony and what evidence needs to be led by the Crown before the court can rely on a speed measuring device reading.

One of the more frequent vehicle equipment complaints that I receive is about blinding blue headlights. I am told that they are horrendous to an oncoming driver and it is hazardous to be driving because of the glare. Drivers want to take their eyes off the road or look to the side to avoid them. Are they legal?

This case is another example of how a series of choices led to a collision. Merritt Towing parked a tow truck on the left side of the divided highway, partially encroaching on the travelled lane, without placing warnings. The angle of the sun and the reflections off of the wet pavement seriously affected the forward vision of drivers at that location. The driver that hit the parked tow truck and been following a large commercial vehicle and chose to pass it on the left instead of on the right.

This report on auto safety from nader.org is aimed at the new Biden administration in the United States. It advocates turning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from "a sporadic, meek consultant to the auto giants" to a strong law enforcement agency. Citing "NHTSA’s inaction and institutional abandonment by Congress and the White House," and "NHTSA’s tiny budget, now far less than what is spent on military bands" it expresses the hope that the administration will begin a new day of public safety.

Imagine how difficult the job must be to keep the 494 chapters of the provincial statutes of British Columbia in order. The legislation that they contain must be added to in order to reflect what we need today, amended as circumstances change and the courts rule on their use and finally repealed as they no longer reflect our wants and needs. Small wonder that some things slip through the cracks.

This video from the Dutch Safety Board poses a very interesting question: "Who is in Control?" With more and more Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) being incorporated into new vehicles this is a very important consideration. News of collisions happening when these systems fail is not new. This raises another important question: "Who is at Fault?"