Three incidents this week prompt me to remind everyone about load security. Two boats have taken unexpected cruises along the pavement and a falling ladder caused a minor injury collision when the driver following along behind attempted to avoid the sudden obstacle in front of her. All of these incidents were cases of improper load security.
Transport Canada has announced a new lighting standard aimed at preventing phantom vehicles, or vehicles being driven at night with no rear lights illuminated. As of September 2021 the Canadian Vehicle Lighting Regulation will mandate that new vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs, 3-wheeled vehicles, motorcycles and heavy trucks) sold in Canada must implement one of the following:
Despite people regularly discussing who has the right of way in particular situations, the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) does not grant right of way to any vehicle operator. It requires that vehicle operators yield to others in all situations where conflict occurs.
If you come across a crash during your travels, please keep this advice in mind: Stop, Look, Listen and THEN Report Collisions. Taking a few moments to gather information can be a big help to both the victims and the emergency services.
Here's a relatively short document from the International Transport Forum outlining seven case studies in four areas:
I found this observation on the Grist web site: "Speed limits are set by drivers voting with their feet. That’s a problem for everyone else on the street." It was accompanied by the following video explanation of the 85th percentile speed limit setting method. Fine if you are a driver, but what if you are some other form of road user such as a pedestrian or cyclist?
Long winter nights mean we spend more time driving while using our headlamps. All headlamps are not created equal however, so some vehicles are safer to drive at night than others.
Patrick Grzelak has a habit of driving while wearing earbuds that are attached to his iPhone because they help block out the drone of the highway. He was stopped by police and issued a violation ticket for using an electronic device while driving. A dispute of that traffic ticket was not successful so he appealed his conviction to the supreme court of BC.
It's relatively rare to see a traffic court decision appealed by the Crown. In this case, Aria Seraji was charged with excessive speed and disputed the traffic ticket. After his trial the judicial justice found that Mr. Seraji was not driving at excessive speed and convicted him of the lesser included offence of speeding. Crown appealed the decision.
One would think that the most likely pedestrian to be struck on our highways would be a child. They are impulsive, may not follow the rules because they don't know them, and have not yet had the experience to fear the outcome of a bad decision.