DriveSmartBC

Failing to remain at the scene of an accident, or hit and run as it is more commonly known is without a doubt a daily occurrence in British Columbia. We all know that we are doing something seriously wrong when we hit a cyclist, pedestrian or other vehicle on the highway and leave the scene to escape civil and criminal liability. However, we're not quite so worried when the collision is a scrape or a dent in a parking lot or something else that we can convince ourselves is of a minor nature.

What can I expect at a Traffic Court Hearing? is a page on the Provincial Court of British Columbia web site. It's a short overview of the process for someone that has never disputed a violation ticket before and doesn't have the time to view a trial in order to gain experience ahead of time.

Has the manufacturer of your vehicle issued a safety related recall? Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls On-Line Database makes short work of answering this question for you. Simply enter the make, model and year of your vehicle and find out immediately if you should be concerned.

Believe it or not, in British Columbia a yellow traffic light tells you that you must stop before you enter the intersection! Yes, I know that there is one caveat to that statement, and it is "unless the stop cannot be made in safety." The onus is on the driver that does not stop for the yellow light to show that it was unsafe if they are involved in court proceedings because of their decision.

The Automotive Retailers Association, BCAA and the CVSE held a webinar on May 12, 2023 to inform the towing and recovery industry what the new regulations around electronic logging mean. They have published a YouTube video of the hour long webinar for public information. Karen Coverett from the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure is a guest speaker.

A recent study by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) concluded that the average city spent about 1 percent of its infrastructure budget on sidewalks, even though walking accounted for 11 percent of residents’ trips every day and pedestrian fatalities constituted 17 percent of all traffic deaths. Walking (including wheelchair, scooter and handcart use) is the universal travel mode. Improving walking conditions can provide many benefits

Nine lamps and six reflectors are the minimum required by law to be installed and functional on your trailer. If that trailer is not a small one, the number grows rapidly to stay in compliance depending on its length and width. Not just any lamp or reflector will do either, they all must be the right device for the right place and comply with standards.

The University of British Columbia's Research on Active Transportation Lab has released information on their study about the Perceived Safety and Comfort of Pedestrian Interactions with Self-driving Vehicles (SDVs). The study was conducted to inform strategies for the responsible introduction of SDVs in a way that does not degrade the walking experience.

QUESTION: I have a question/concern about horse carriages in a very busy downtown area and at a very busy intersection blocking the pedestrian crossing, forcing pedestrians to walk around the horse and into the traffic. The same issue exists for the bike lanes. The horse carriages routinely use the bike lanes and cyclists are forced out of the designated lane into the car traffic to get around the carriage. I have also witnessed the horse carriages stopping traffic in all three directions while they make a u-turn in the intersection.

A visitor to this website remarked that the term "school days" in relation to school zone signs is becoming more and more ambiguous. The Motor Vehicle Act merely refers to "A person driving a vehicle on a regular school day" and I no longer know what a regular school day is, particularly since I don't have kids in school and when I am in an unfamiliar area of the province..