This is a video produced by the Belgian Federal Highway Police in collaboration with the Parents of Child Highway Victims. It is in French with English sub-titles. It features conversations between drivers caught speeding and the parents of children who died in collisions. Both are seated in the rear of a vehicle immediately after the driver had been stopped by police.
The sun is shining, the traffic is light and I'm actually enjoying my drive on the Inland Island Highway (technically speaking, it's a freeway) headed to Qualicum Beach. The only vehicle nearby is a car that is slowly overtaking me on the left. Not a problem as I'm travelling slightly under the 120 km/h speed limit.
On the 19th of August, 2013 Christopher Griffith stopped his vehicle in the parking lot of the Royal Canadian Legion on 106 Avenue in Surrey, B.C. He became involved in an altercation with people present in the parking lot. Matters escalated to the point that these people advanced on his vehicle brandishing weapons and Mr. Griffith feared serious harm to himself, his passenger and his vehicle. He accelerated quickly away, crossing an adjacent vacant lot and departing northbound on 135A Street.
B.C. is moving a little closer to having a modern traffic ticketing system. Instead of an officer hand writing a violation ticket, the data will be entered into a computer at the roadside and a printed copy of the eTicket issued to the offending driver. In addition to producing a completely legible document the data can be transmitted to ICBC and the court system, eliminating a significant duplication of effort.
Today's high tech cars have centre console mounted displays that allow anyone (including the driver) to play around with while in motion; should be against the law. Some cars even need to have the driver touch a screen to change the radio volume or station; a dangerous practice. Older car radios you can FEEL the knobs without taking your eyes off the road. I think vehicles are going the wrong direction these days with their gadgetry.
Here is a series of four videos from TranBC that are part of the Be Truck Aware initiative. They illustrate dangerous choices made by the drivers of small vehicles when they fail to share the road properly with heavy commercial vehicles.
I was driving home from a family event at about 9:30 pm on a recent Sunday night using the Island Highway. The vehicle in front of me drew my attention as it strayed to the right, half way onto the shoulder. We were traveling at about 85 km/h in the posted 90 zone. After a moment the driver resumed the proper lane position but soon drifted off to the right. The direction of the drift did not depend on the curvature of the roadway.
In the case of R v Griffith we find ourselves in the Supreme Court at an appeal of a conviction for speeding. Edward Scherbey was driving out of a 30 km/h school zone travelling at 54 km/h. Constable Sabulsky made both a visual estimate of his vehicle's speed and measured it with a Stalker Dual DSR radar device before issuing the speeding ticket. At the conclusion of the trial in Provincial Court, a conviction was entered.
News Item: Ontario introducing $50,000 fines for careless drivers causing death (Globe and Mail, September 20, 2017).
Bill 158, Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act, 2017 will implement significant consequences for drivers who break the listed rules and cause serious injury or death. The penalties include a mandatory probation order that will require the driver to take a driving instruction course and perform community service. The community service must include activity related to improving driving safety and public education on driving safety. Their driver’s licence will be suspended during the probation.
The TranBC web site has published three maps of B.C. showing the highways where winter tires must be used or commercial vehicles must carry chains.