READING - A New Traffic Safety Paradigm

VTPI LogoThe Victoria Transport Policy Institute has released a document that recognizes the long term decline in traffic casualty rates is ending. According to the document's introduction "Crash rates have started to increase, indicating that current traffic safety strategies have fulfilled their potential. To achieve ambitious safety goals such as Road to Zero we need additional traffic safety strategies. This will require a paradigm shift, a change in the way traffic risks are measured and potential safety strategies are evaluated."

CASE LAW - R v Catling

BC Courts Coat of ArmsMatthew Catling received two traffic tickets, one in Richmond for speeding in a municipality and one in Vancouver for using an electronic device. Mr. Catling filed separate Constitutional Question Act notices on both the Richmond and Robson Square prosecutions on November 2, 2017, and November 24, 2017, respectively. He asserted that s. 63.1 of the Offence Act violates Sections 7 and 11(d) of the Charter.

Suggestions From the Twitterverse

twitter logoFor my final article of 2018 I turned to the loyal followers of @DriveSmartBC on Twitter, asking what they felt was important to review. Within a very short time I had five suggestions to write about.

@MRTMCMLIII suggested the “Orange Options” on each corner that few know how to use to signal their intentions before they complete a manoeuvre.

VIDEO - If Cars Could Talk, Accidents Might be Avoidable

ted logoJennifer Healey is a research scientist who works for the semiconductor giant Intel developing the mobile devices of the future. One of those devices might be your car, and it will talk to other vehicles around it. If we can solve the privacy concerns, vehicles may be able to insure that their drivers avoid collisions.

Q&A - Pleasure use Only

Q&A Image

So I was rear ended today. There was no damage to my truck, but the car that hit me didn't come out of it too well. I phoned into ICBC to make an accident report. Through the process, I had told them that the guy who hit me was a pizza delivery guy. Turns out he had pleasure use only on his insurance. My question is, how will this affect his claim seeing he was working with his car at the time?

Random Thoughts While Stuck in Traffic

Traffic Signal OffHave you ever given any thought to how efficiently traffic lights control the flow of vehicles? I found out last Friday afternoon at 5:30 pm as I traveled the 7.6 kilometers between Superior Road in Lantzville and Northwest Bay Road in Nanoose Bay on Highway 19. Total elapsed time: 40 minutes for a trip Google Maps says should take 5 minutes.