Driving at Night in the Rain

Wet WeatherIf there is one driving situation that I like the least, it has to be driving at night when it is raining. It was like driving into a wet coal sack and many of the environmental cues that I used to position my vehicle were unavailable to me. Although proper vision was my biggest worry, traction is also reduced and that must be taken into account.

Q&A - U-Turns Around Wide Boulevards

Q&A ImageI hope you don't mind a question about U-Turn that always puzzles me. On a 4-lane street (2 lanes in each direction) with a large boulevard in between, can a driver turn left and stop at that boulevard, when traffic is clear, turn left again on that road?

So this car would end up driving in the opposite direction. Does this action considered an illegal U-Turn?

CASE LAW - Haughian v Jiwa

BC Courts Coat of ArmsIn this case, Kathleen Haughian was proceeding eastbound on Sunset Street east of Smith Avenue in Burnaby, B.C.  Sunset Street in this location consists of two lanes in each direction with angle parking on both sides. The angle parking is toward traffic on the north side and away from traffic on the south side.

Fail! The Immediate Roadside Prohibition

Keys and DrinkI performed many duties in my policing career, investigator, collision analyst, breath testing technician and screening device operator/calibrator/instructor. I've seen first hand the damage that impaired drivers do to themselves and others on our highways. The duty I liked the least was notifying next of kin following a fatal collision.

VIEWPOINT - Targetting Little Old Ladies Going to Church

SoapboxAfter just coming back from a trip I thought I would see what you have to say about an issue that has been bugging me for some time. One can not drive very far without encountering one of what I call the crazies. The driver who drives like a fool, way too fast for either weather or road conditions, passing when its not safe, Etc. Etc.,and generally putting everyone in his or her path at risk.

VIDEO - Ramona Pierson on Being Hit by an Impaired Driver

TED logoTED Talks challenge fascinating thinkers and doers to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. Ramona Pierson was crossing the street when a drunk driver ran a red light and struck her in the crosswalk. She spent 18 months in a coma and then was placed in a senior citizens home to recover.

VIDEO - Whodunnit?

VideoWe all like to think that we are observant and as safe drivers, nothing should get by our eagle eyes. However, there is a feature of how our brain processes what we are seeing called situational blindness. This video from the UK is actually part of a cycling safety campaign and shows how much the scene in our visual field can change without us noticing.