One of the drawbacks of living on Vancouver Island is having to drive at night in the rain. Where there is no street lighting present I find it like driving into a wet sack of coal. When the road markings are worn I must slow down in order to be safe because it is difficult to maintain proper lane position.
One of my preferred enforcement practices was to use an unmarked car and drive in the right hand lane at or just under the speed limit. This gave me plenty of time to look at and into whatever passed by on my left. Tinted windows, failing to wear a seatbelt, distracted driving and other things of interest to a traffic cop were often easily discovered.
This video demonstrates a system called Safety Insights created by the Ford Motor Company. The system uses data provided by connected vehicles to assist engineers in anticipating collision problems, testing countermeasures and deciding which to apply through cost / benefit analysis. The expected outcome is collision prevention rather than applying corrections after they occur.
My article on driving lights led to a number of requests to write a follow up article on fog lights. The original question involved vehicles that were driving with four lights on all the time and two of them were not being dimmed for oncoming traffic.
Jennifer Harvey was riding her bicycle southbound on Ontario street entering the roundabout at Athlete's Way in Vancouver. As she entered, she noted a car ahead of her that was stopped but had the backup lights on. Ms. Harvey did not decide to stop until the car began to back up, but by then it was too late, the car collided with her.
When a crash occurs on multiple laned highways in B.C., drivers tend to stop in the same lane position that they use when driving. This often creates significant difficulties for emergency services, large fire department vehicles in particular, because there is no space for them to drive to the scene. Time lost to making way can come at a significant cost to the victims involved.
Right of way means the privilege of the immediate use of the highway over other users. We often speak of it, but do we really know what it means in relation to our driving? It is crucial that drivers know and follow the right of way rules to avoid conflict and collision.
According to Charles Marohn, municipal engineer and planner, a stroad is a bad combination of two types of vehicular pathways: part street and part road. He defines a stroad as a high-speed road with many turnoffs which lacks safety features and says that they are common in the United States and Canada.
A survey conducted by Road Safety at Work shows many people who drive as part of their job have misconceptions about motor vehicle crashes – and their causes – on B.C.’s roads. “Learning the facts can help prevent injuries and even save their lives,” says Louise Yako, program director for Road Safety at Work.
A reader has asked "What would happen to me if I was caught driving without a drivers licence?" It is a question that will expose serious consequences for you and the owner of the vehicle you are driving if it is not your own. I will confine my answer to the situation where you don't have a driver's licence either because you did not get one, it was expired or you did not have it properly reinstated after a suspension or prohibition.