Aggressive Driving

This decision as reported in the press last week made me scratch my head. We have a driver who was doing at least 20 km/h over the speed limit, went straight through from a right turn only lane against a red light, hit a concrete median, lost control and collided with another vehicle, killing both occupants.

I used to smile when I saw closely spaced traffic, a large gap, a police vehicle, another large gap and finally more closely spaced traffic. Everyone is afraid of the cop I thought. Having spent 25 years driving a marked police vehicle I recognize both that I rarely see this anymore and that it was a wise thing to do. Police vehicles often make unexpected starts, stops and turns.

In this case, Avinash Prasad has pled guilty to driving without due care and attention after having been charged with dangerous driving causing death. This follows from a collision on March 28, 2009 near the intersection of 64th Avenue and 176th Street in Surrey.

Maybe it,s just me,but if I was walking somewhere,and someone came  up behind me with a wepon (gun,knife,ect).and beiing trained in martial arts,It is my right to defend myself,,,as my life is at risk..I would be concidered somewhat of a hero,if I sucseeded to aprehend this criminal. If I did,nt sucseed,,Yes I could be dead or injured,,but at the time,,the choices beiing???????

Recently I was on Highway 97 proceeding north and about to enter Westbank when a car exiting the connector highway, 97C, came abreast of me on my right. We were in a “dead heat,” as it were, with neither vehicle as much as a car’s length ahead of the other. I felt that I had the right of way and continued at the same speed. The other car merged after me, repeatedly sounding her horn.

I hope that an article about passing on the right might help at least some drivers understand the rules and help improve the driving community. I have made a point of keeping to the right side of the lane to try and prevent vehicles from passing. One day a driver fingered and yelled at me, yet the driver was attempting to do something illegal (even though many drivers perform this illegal act).

"Speed Kills!" is a popular road safety slogan that we hear often. It's pretty simplistic and when I look around me on the highway I am convinced that drivers either don't believe it or live in a world of denial. Speed alone doesn't kill, but combine it with poor driving skills or a bad decision and it definitely makes a bad situation worse.

In this case, Ms. Kelly was attempting a left turn at an intersection on a multiple lane highway. Mr. Yuen was oncoming and had briefly stopped in the lane two away from the curb, the curb lane being a restricted lane for bus and cycle use only at the time.

A motorcycle rider decides to try and beat the yellow light and pulls out to pass other traffic that is stopping for the yellow reaching an estimated speed of 130 to 140 km/h in the posted 90 km/h zone. The driver of an oncoming car, observing traffic stopping, begins to turn left.

Stay in Mantrol is an anti-speed campaign from the New Zealand Transport Agency. The following quote from their web site summarizes the campaign: