Traffic related news items.
Transportation Minister Claire Trevena has announced the roll back of speed limit increases on 15 segments of highway that were raised in 2014. The new speed limit will be 10 km/h lower in the hope that the increase in crash rates seen after the previous change will return to what they were before.
The Provincial Court of British Columbia has released a Guide to Disputing a Ticket. The 16 page PDF document expands the information available on the court's Traffic and Bylaws page and is aimed specifically at provincial violation tickets rather than federal or municipal violation tickets. This is applicable to traffic tickets issued under the Motor Vehicle Act and Commercial Transportation Act.
When the Government of Canada put an end to the use of oil based paint for highway line markings the durability that we had come to expect ended. Since that time the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has been searching for and testing suitable replacements.
For the first time, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has tested and rated vehicle headlights. Of the 31 mid-sized vehicles examined, only one, the Toyota Prius, received a "good" rating. All the others rated acceptable, marginal or poor in roughly the same proportion. If you've wondered about glare from oncoming vehicles or thought that you weren't seeing well driving at night, the proof may be here.
ICBC has announced that Driver's Abstracts are now available on line for free. Drivers request a copy of their driving records on line and after satisfying security requirements receive the documents by e-mail. Drives can can also access insurance and claims history records that detail a driver's insurance coverage and claims history, for up to 20 years.
Effective on February 26th, 2014 you will no longer be able to submit an application to be exempt from wearing a seatbelt for medical reasons. The Canadian Medical Association’s Driver’s Guide states in Section 24 that “there are no medical circumstances that justify exemption from wearing a seat belt.” After this date doctors will no longer be able to issue exemptions.
The Minister of Justice announced changes to the Motor Vehicle Act affecting motorcycle helmets and motorcycle passengers. Effective June 1, 2012 all motorcycle riders who are not exempt will have to wear an approved motorcycle helmet that bears approval markings showing that they comply with established standards.
In January 2011 CVSE announced that an alternative to conventional tire chains was now being allowed in British Columbia for commercial vehicles. The bulletin said that the use of pneumatic automatically deployed tire chains for commercial vehicles will fulfill the requirements of section 208 of the Motor Vehicle Act.