DriveSmartBC

Misbehaving and incompetent drivers get off too easy in the media. How many times have you seen news headlines like these?

CBC's On the Coast radio program is looking at The Speed Factor this week. The theme of the series is to look at the impact speed has on collisions and why we are not doing more to convince the public that inappropriate speed is an unnecessary risk.

Curious if you know if it is required by law for a school bus to honk when backing up. Reason I ask is the local school bus has chosen in front of my house as the drop and pickup point for 2 kids that live 1/2 a mile up the road. Not an issue, except every morning at 7 she lays on the horn and wakes me up.

I have lived in the southern interior of BC . for just over 20 years .

I ‘m told that through my work experience , driving of commercial trucks as well as my own personal vehicles , I am considered to be a professional driver. I am currently semi – retired and drive a school bus for a local school district .

What are the laws in BC about wearing hearing protection while operating a non-commercial vehicle?

I drive a diesel panel van, and the noise level in the cab is VERY high at highway speeds - to the point that conversation is difficult and my ears ring after extended drives.  I am concerned about hearing damage, so would like to wear hearing protection.

Have you responded to our provincial government's request for feedback on the setting of fair ICBC rates yet? The hope is to "introduce changes to the current system to make insurance rates more fair for British Columbians by making all drivers more accountable for their decisions and driving behaviour." The implication here is that bad drivers don't pay their fair share of insurance premiums.

My 83-year old father got a violation ticket and I am considering whether I should (or can) dispute it on his behalf. It is a somewhat unique case.  My father had shown signs of  mental illness and last month I just managed to get a geriatric specialist to send in a medical report that requires him to take a driving assessment.

I find it interesting that following 2 serious crashes, Neil Menard, the mayor of Merritt, has been taking shots at the maintenance crews that are responsible for the Coquihalla.

A pedestrian pushing a child in a stroller and the driver of a van approach an intersection controlled by a traffic light with a pedestrian signal. Both the traffic light and the pedestrian signal are red. The driver is in the lane next to the pedestrian who arrives at the cross street and stops seconds before the driver arrives at the stop line.

Question: In the winter, how do police determine what is a safe speed? I was driving Highway 5 in a storm and didn't really want to do 45 km/h with a 2 km line of traffic in the left lane. I passed the train of cars, but only did about 70 km/h. I felt that it was safe for myself in the truck that I was driving.