Advisory Bike Lanes

Question MarkA DriveSmartBC web site visitor asks "Currently the City of Victoria is bringing in new Advisory bike lanes. I can find nothing in the drivers license training or bc motor vehicle act that gives a legal driving approach to these type of lanes or trains new and old drivers to manage these lanes? Please advise where this is covered in driver training."

ANALYSIS - Intersection Safety Cameras

intersection safety camera signLove 'em or hate 'em, intersection safety cameras that measure vehicle speed along with red light violations are part of the solution to reduce crashes on BC highways. Dr. Werner Antweiler of UBC's Sauder School of Business has written an analysis of "speed on green" cameras. He quotes Professor Richard Allsop's report from research conducted in Great Britain:

Stay Between the Lines

Traffic IslandOne sure sign of growing up when we were young was the ability to use our crayons and colour between the lines. An important skill for a "grown up" driver is also the ability to stay between the lines. Judging by the e-mails that I continually receive from readers who state that this is their main pet peeve, there is a sizable number of drivers out there who need to do a bit more skill improvement.

VIDEO - Protected Intersections

VideoWhile this video is titled "Making a Community Safer for Pedestrians | A Protected Intersection" it should also include cyclists with the pedestrians as it protects them too. Local stakeholders are interviewed about the rationale for picking this intersection and why the changes that have been made work to make it safer.

Ten Questions and Ten Answers

e-mail iconIt's time to deal with all the questions in the DriveSmartBC inbox that have not prompted an article of their own. Here are 10 of them, one of which initially stumped me too. I guess that goes to show that no matter how long you have been a licensed driver, there is still something that you can learn!

RESEARCH - Understanding ADAS

AAA LogoComplex automation known as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can now control the vehicle’s speed, headway, and lane position, and capabilities continue to expand. Drivers need to understand these new vehicle features in order to use them effectively and appropriately.

What Does a Traffic Cop Do?

image of traffic cop at workCorrect me if I'm wrong, but I think that most people see a traffic cop as someone who writes speeding tickets and hangs around Tim Hortons. This is a very narrow view of the job but I did not realize just how narrow it was until I participated in a project to define my job as a front line RCMP traffic constable.

CASE LAW - R v Schurman

BC Courts Coat of ArmsJagger Ross Schurman was stopped by police in Vancouver for a number of violations while he was driving his mother's car. "He was under the impression that he would be principally fined but that the tickets would not go on his driving record. He also indicated that he was led into an erroneous understanding about the effect of pleading guilty with respect to the accumulation of points against his driver's licence by the attending officer's roadside statements."