DriveSmartBC

Ask a group of drivers whether they consider themselves to be better than average, and you are likely to see a lot of hands go up. Some of them may actually be right. The more interesting question is how we know.

A reader asked why daytime running lights (DRLs) are required on vehicles in Canada. He also wondered why there appeared to be little enforcement when vehicles that are supposed to have DRLs are being driven without them.

Winter tire season is almost here. Starting October 1, 2026, winter tires (or chains, for commercial vehicles) become mandatory on most BC highways — and the rules stay in effect until either March 31 or April 30, 2027, depending on the route. If you drive outside the Lower Mainland or Greater Victoria at any point this winter, it's worth checking now rather than getting caught out at a highway checkpoint or, worse, in a ditch.

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.