People That You Won't Share the Road With

Road RageYou may have seen the road rage video on social media lately where a woman doing the speed limit refuses to move out of the left and lane and a man driving a pickup wants by. He eventually passes and then drops back to wave a single digit and yell at the woman. He finally accelerates heavily and gets back into the lane in front of her, losing control and crashing in the median. She stops to laugh at the outcome.

RESEARCH - Rethinking Streets

Road ConstructionThe web site describes this publication as "Rethinking Streets: An Evidence-Based Guide to 25 Complete Street Transformations, documents twenty-five case studies from around the country that helped facilitate more walking, biking, and transit use while enhancing commercial activity, with minimal to no negative impact on automobile access."

VIEWPOINT - Saw a preventable crash today

SoapboxWell, most crashes are preventable, even mechanical failure to some degree.

This rainy morning, as I was descending down a 10% grade coming up on an intersection, I observed two cars: grey Pontiac G5 being followed at about 3 feet distance by a large black Dodge Ram 1500.

Both vehicles were in the middle lane of a 3 lane street, where traffic 'typically' travels around 60km/h.

Turn Signals are not Always a Polite Request

Turn SignalEvery now and again I end up scratching my head and wondering why I didn't think of it that way. This is one of those times and it has to do with turn signals. Ask most drivers what they mean and the response will probably be that a turn signal is a request to change direction or move from lane to lane. That isn't necessarily so.

Q&A - Speeding Relative To Conditions

Q&A ImageIn mid July I was driving on a rural back road on Vancouver Island, heading into town to do a few personal errands. The vehicle I was driving was a 2008 Toyota Sienna van. On this particular day it was my second time driving the van, and I was still not used to the amount of steering input that was required to turn it, as I had been driving a Civic since I got my Learners License. 

Automated Licence Plate Recognition

police officer writing ticketAutomated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) is a tool that is being used more frequently for traffic law enforcement in B.C. Cameras mounted on police vehicles scan vehicle licence plates as they pass and compare them to a computer database. A "hit" in the database is announced to the patrolling officer and the vehicle will be stopped for investigation.

READING - Road Speed: Health Impact and Counteractive Measures

speed demon imageThis publication from the Institut national de santé publique du Québec examines the health impact when drivers fail to follow the speed limit. It also reviews counteractive measures and identifies the need to redefine a comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing speed on Québec roads.