by Dr. Radut

Q&A - How Do We Increase Enforcement On Our Highways?

Published by Anonymous (not verified) -

Q&A ImageI have lived in the southern interior of BC . for just over 20 years .

I ā€˜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 ā€“ retired and drive a school bus for a local school district .

The point I would like to make is that for about the last 10 years I have witnessed a dramatic decline in respect for other drivers on our roads and highways throughout the southern interior of BC . I continually witness tail gaiters , speeding , passing on blind corners , passing on solid lines , distracted drivers and people who do not drive at a speed that is safe for the current road conditions .

I must purchase a dash cam !

I have written e-mails to both provincial and federal officials ( MLA / MP ) with no satisfying answers . I would like to see more law enforcement on our highways to get these ā€œ Bad Drivers ā€œ off the roads .

I travel frequently in the southern interior as well as a few trips over to Alberta to visit family . The difference between the 2 provinces is like night and day . In BC I can drive several hundreds of kilometers and ā€œ Never ā€œ see an RCMP vehicle anywhere , unless there is an accident .

There are some highways now that I refuse to travel on as I feel it is too risky .

On trips over to Alberta I encounter RCMP , law enforcement almost on every trip . I even see drivers pulled over and being ticketed , not in BC !

I recently tried contacting a BC TV station to see if they might be interested in investigating my story , no reply , guess they are not interested .

Any suggestions as to how to get more law enforcement out on our roads and highways in BC like they do in Alberta ? What are they doing that is so different from us in BC ? I right now the only recourse I have is that if some disrespectful ā€œ Bad Driver ā€œ involves me in their accident they better have a Harvard Lawyer because Iā€™m going to sue them for everything they have . ( house , boat , rv , pension , etc ).

I do hope that through the ICBC survey they listen to the safer , respectful drivers , give us a break on our premiums and make the ā€œ Bad Drivers ā€œ pay .

Published by CompetentDrivingBC - 2018/03/13 - 18:02 | Permalink

This is an interesting post. Let me throw some thoughts at it, for what they're worth.

I travel frequently in the southern interior as well as a few trips over to Alberta to visit family . The difference between the 2 provinces is like night and day . In BC I can drive several hundreds of kilometers and ā€œ Never ā€œ see an RCMP vehicle anywhere , unless there is an accident .

I live in the lower mainland, and driving - or teaching driving - is what I do. But the presence (or lack of it) of RCMP patrolling the highways isn't much different, I reckon. In these parts, while various police forces may have jurisdiction in the various municipalities, the RCMP Highway Patrol (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) have responsibility for the #1 Trans-Canada Highway from 232 Street in Langley to the Capilano overpass.

They're a joke, a farce, in my opinion, when it comes to effective road safety monitoring. When they do show a visible presence, it will be to run radar traps on the safest, fastest, smoothly flowing sections of the highway.

Though, to be fair, they show a keen interest in those naughty drivers who sometimes use the HOV Lanes when they're not entitled to. So much so, that in this province more than 7,000 tickets were issued to these bad drivers in 2016, the latest year for which the data is available. Wow, law and order will prevail, eh? Never mind that there's no safety issue, here ...

But we need a sense of perspective, of comparison.

Most 2-vehicle collisions (the most common type of crash, by far) are a direct result of following too closely. When it comes to injuries and damage, this is the Number One cost to both ICBC and those of us affected. A huge cost to society. Following too closely is absolutely illegal, it is aggressive, it is rude, it is dangerous, it is wrong.

In that same year, the combined BC police forces - both municipal and highway - issued 2,328 tickets for following too closely.

That's it. That's right. That's just how effective the police forces in this province are, in terms of tackling the priority issues plaguing us on the highways. It's enough to make you weep - or curse.

There is something fundamentally, architecturally, WRONG in this province, in terms of how resources are allocated, and the way that our police forces shoulder their responsibilities - or fail to do so - as public servants.

 

 I definetley agree - I'm on the Island and tailgating is horrible here, and the sighting of an enforcement officer is the same, few and  way to far,  between, I will say this once in a while I can drive 12 miles and not be tailgated even if I am over by 10-12, the rest of the time I spend to much time looking in the rearview.  Waiting to see if the driver behind me will stop when I have to, I find drivers do not look far enough ahead at any time as though they are transfixed on the bumper of my car and get upset if they can't bully me into driving the way they drive... they need more units over on the islands hwys, as well. AN added bonus is that they put up these be curteous move over signs but DON'T put the speed limit either above or below it, as if to say if you are a bit over the speed limit,  weave into and out of the curb lane to let the aggresive speeders go by - which in a translation (safety related) would seem to be risk your safety,  for the idiocy of others - considering all the variables involved.

I find it rediculous as well that people don't know that a divided hwy. that has two lanes, on each side  is not termed a multi-lane highway, and passing on the right is allowed..therefore they move over all the time when someone approaches from the rear thinking they have to of course.  They inadvertantly cut off someone (because of the signs) changing lanes and trying to pass on the right side..it is really a mess - "even the signage."  -Road rage to me (as I believe that's why the signs were made that way) is a factor only because it's suggested that it should be avoided - but the ones that should avoid it are the people who cannot control their emotions-- when driving -- you become part of a machine (it has no emotions). 

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