Traffic safety remains a critical public health and economic challenge across British Columbia. The rolling model below provides a live, data-driven projection of cumulative road safety outcomes and transport incidents across the province since January 1, 2026:
My highway patrol unit was issued its first laser speed measuring device back in the early 1990s. It quickly became a popular enforcement tool due to its precision in targeting specific vehicles and measuring speed accurately. Just like radar before it, laser technology required time for case law to mature in the courtroom.
The friction on British Columbia roads, sidewalks, and multi-use pathways is increasing. The influx of website submissions reveals frustration from pedestrians, traditional cyclists, and drivers alike. This is a widespread behavioural problem: a growing wave of rule abuse, reckless operation, and a complete disregard for the shared rules of the road.
A common belief among drivers in British Columbia is that a police officer must personally witness a traffic violation to issue a ticket. However, this is legally incorrect. An officer may issue a traffic ticket based entirely on third-party witness accounts, statements from drivers, and physical scene evidence.
Have you ever found yourself trailing a large commercial transport truck on a British Columbia highway and felt an overwhelming urge to get around it? It is a common psychological reaction for passenger vehicle drivers. We don't like being slowed down but the maneuver that happens next is often one of the most dangerous actions on our roads: passing the truck, immediately cutting back into its lane, and then slowing down.
Deciding to stop driving is one of the most emotionally charged choices a family will ever face. For senior drivers, a driver’s license represents a lifetime of freedom and independence. For their adult children, watching a parent’s driving skills decline brings deep worry, stress, and a fear for public safety.
When there is a fire, we need fire trucks to get there as quickly as possible. Literally, seconds count. Once on scene, a safe working area, free of other traffic, is required so that firefighters can concentrate on the task. Our Motor Vehicle Act provides for both situations.
When you are upset enough about the way someone is driving and you call the police to make a complaint about it, the last thing that you expect to happen is to be discouraged by the complaint taker. Worse still, when you insist and get to speak with a constable they tell you that there is nothing to be done as well.
Under Section 95 of the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act, driving while prohibited is treated as a full mens rea offence. This means that to secure a conviction, the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you had actual knowledge of the prohibition.
I am fortunate to receive a steady stream of driving questions from visitors to this website. Whenever I need inspiration for my weekly column, I can always count on a reader to spark an idea. This week, the operative word is "short." I am tackling a few brief but important questions that haven’t developed into full articles but still deserve a thorough response.