Gather a group of traffic enforcement officers for coffee and doughnuts at Tim Hortons and we'll sit and swap stories about what we have seen and shake our heads in amazement. Sometimes it's an attempt to avoid PTSD and others it's because we genuinely can't believe that someone would behave this way. I think I might have heard one that will be almost impossible to top this past weekend.
Outside temperatures have dipped below 7 degrees, so it's time to consider installing your winter tires if you use them. Residents in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island might be able to get away with good all season or all weather tires if they stick close to home, but vehicles being driven in the rest of the province really should be equipped with true winter tires.
Question: I was driving at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and the Cambie Street on ramp in Vancouver. I turned right on a green light to head onto Cambie Street. I did not have to yield to any pedestrians as they were being held by the pedestrian signal. I moved about 20 feet into turn and my car was struck on the passenger side by a bicyle rider doing full speed.
Let's not be serious for a moment and enjoy a quick humourous video about a driver assistance system that features Amazon's Alexa. In this case it's Alexa doing that tattling, but I have stopped a driver in the past for not wearing his seatbelt and had the child in the passenger seat pipe up "See Dad, I told you to put it on when we left!"
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?