Setting a Bad Example for Others

Exclamation Mark SignIt's not nice to take vicarious pleasure from the troubles of other drivers, but sometimes I can't help myself. Yesterday I found myself #3 in line waiting for a red light to turn green at an intersection. The vehicle in front of me was a shiny Porsche Boxster convertible driven by a mature male. The light turned green and he stalled it.

Q&A - Serving an Amended Traffic Ticket

Q&A ImageWhen a motorist is issued a traffic ticket, the service is proven by either the signature of the accused, or by completing the Certificate of Service on the rear side of the Officer's copy.

If there is information that required amendments to be correct that was not part of the shaded area, is there a requirement for the same proof of service as serving the original copy?

VIDEO - 4 Ways to Make a City More Walkable

VideoFrom the description on YouTube:

Freedom from cars, freedom from sprawl, freedom to walk your city! City planner Jeff Speck shares his "general theory of walkability" -- four planning principles to transform sprawling cities of six-lane highways and 600-foot blocks into safe, walkable oases full of bike lanes and tree-lined streets.

RESEARCH - Children May Not Detect Approaching Vehicles

school crossing & guard helping children in crosswalkAs drivers, we tend to think that if we can see pedestrians, they can see us, especially during the day. This may not be the case with children if we are driving at speeds of more than 30 km/h. This is also the speed above which the chance of significant injury or death begins to be much higher for pedestrians who are struck by vehicles.

I'll Meet You in the Middle!

Yield SignDriving behaviour is a never ending curiosity for me, so when I heard a conversation about the intersection of Haslam and Adshead Roads south of Nanaimo I had to take a look. The gist of the story was that most drivers seemed to treat this Y shaped intersection as being uncontrolled and zoomed through it as if the rest of the world was going to stop for them. The sentiment was expressed that it is only a matter of time before a serious crash occurred there.

CASE LAW - Eller v British Columbia (Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure)

BC Courts Coat of ArmsWilliam Eller represented the Aspen Road Community's interests in this action against the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure's (MOTI) proposed changes to the Malahat Highway intersection serving their area. The action was taken because the residents felt that the MOTI failed to incorporate their concerns into the improvement project. An injunction was requested to prevent the changes being made until the safest design for the affected area was determined in full consultation with the residents.

Some People Still Don't Wear Their Seatbelt

SeatbeltOver my lifetime so far, I've gone from a child who rode on a foam mattress in the back of our family station wagon on summer road trips to a grandfather who would not dream of driving anywhere without grand daughters safely buckled up in proper child restraints. Needless to say, wearing my own seatbelt has become a reflex action. I'm uncomfortable if I don't wear it and don't notice it when I do.

READING - Preserve Car Crash Evidence in Five Steps

Hergott Law logoHere's great advice from Hergott Law about how to protect your interests if you are involved in a crash. According to Paul Hergott, very few of his clients ever take any steps at the scene to gather and preserve information about the crash that could be crucial later on. This is particularly important for short lived evidence which may not remain to be found after the fact and may or may not be documented by police on your behalf.

Go First, Think Second

Backing UpI've started to take my own advice and back into parking stalls more often. There have been some unique experiences, mostly pedestrians that blithely march past the back of my vehicle ignoring the signal and backup lights, but there are drivers who want to go first and think second. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to include myself in that category this time around.