I've been teaching my Road Safety for Seniors course at Elder College since the early 2000s. I think that the main interest of the students is in keeping their driver's licenses as long as possible. I'm surprised that it took me a long time to realize that I needed a module concerning deciding to stop driving.
Question: Is there a minimum speed limit on municipal roads? For example, if a road has a designated speed limit of 50 km/h, is there an inferred or statutory minimum speed for that road? The reason I ask is because my 17 year old daughter recently failed her driver's test. The reason? "Driving too slow."
I've been reading Moving to Vision Zero: Road Safety Strategy Update and Showcase of Innovation in British Columbia and was struck by these words: "The Safe System Approach enables more ambitious progress by treating the road system as a product of numerous components." One of these components includes driving skills.
I am generally not a person who likes the rain, but as I sit with my coffee in hand looking out the window this morning I'm happy to see it. No doubt, so is the vegetation that depends on it. Not so for drivers though, social media has been full of well meant advice to slow down due to the potential of slippery roads.
The crew from the School Bus Garage in Keremeos tell about a person driving a motor home backing up to exit a driveway near a school bus that was dropping off children. The person didn’t appear to be paying attention and almost backed over one of the children. The crew thought that a big yellow school bus displaying flashing lights should have been a clue for the driver to exercise more care.
One of the loneliest books in the world might just be your vehicle's owners manual. Consigned to the glove box, many never see the light of day until they find a new home in the recycle bin. That's a shame because the manufacturer of your vehicle has put a lot of thought and important safety information on those pages.
Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Since B.C. has allowed new motorized forms of transportation to use the roads people have pushed the limit even further, perhaps by thinking that if it is battery powered, it must be OK. Electric dirt bikes are one recent example of this.
We are an affluent society. Teens today own vehicles in numbers only dreamed about when I was that age. Often their disposable income doesn't end there and many dollars are spent on vehicle modifications and improvements. Do you know if your teen's vehicle is safe?
Today was the first day back at school for elementary students where I live. The school is on an arterial road with a posted speed of 60 km/h that is often ignored by many drivers. I stood with speed watch volunteers for an hour from 10:00 to 11:00 am and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
A recent letter to Castanet in Kelowna titled Keep Riders off Sidewalks highlights a number of safety issues that new modes of active transportation have created. These issues are not restricted to the City of Kelowna and can be found throughout British Columbia.