Commentary driving is a very useful tool for teaching a new driver. It involves narrating their observations, interpretations and intentions about the traffic situation as they drive. This narrative is expected to take place before the fact and gives the instructor or examiner insight into what the driver is seeing (or not seeing) and how they intend to proceed.
Road Safety Vision, Vision Zero and B.C. Road Safety Strategy, three programs that you will see mentioned repeatedly on this site. However, what you won't see are the results of these programs. I used my favourite search engine this morning to try and track down some results that show the aims in these programs being met, or changes that are being made because what we are doing is not working.
I once stopped a vehicle being driven at 96 km/h in a posted 50 km/h construction zone. Approaching the passenger side, I spoke with the woman in the front seat and the young lady driving. When I explained why I stopped them, the woman suggested that she was unable to get the driver to slow down, and maybe I could do something about it.
Emperatriz Cool was stopped in Richmond, B.C. for the offence of using an electronic device while driving. Cst. Schmidt had obtained her driver's licence after speaking with her and then issued a violation ticket. She disputed the ticket, making a no evidence motion at the close of Crown's case. She suggested that Cst. Schmidt had failed to properly identify her as the driver.
Drivers are often confused about the difference between a regulatory sign and an advisory sign. A regulatory sign generally has black characters or symbols on a white background and an advisory sign has black characters or symbols on a yellow background. So, what's the difference?
As BC moves to test alternative methods of transportation using vehicles that would have been forbidden on the highway in past, this document will be interesting reading. It examines the traffic safety of pedal cycles, electrically assisted cycles and electrically powered personal mobility devices such as e-scooters, whether owned or shared, in an urban context.
Last September the Parents Advisory Committee (PAC) at the Ecole Oceanside Elementary School in Parksville asked me to help establishing a crossing guard program for what they considered to be a dangerous intersection at one corner of the school grounds. In past, the principal had raised the issue of liability concerns that needed to be looked into and that was the end of the conversation.
Sandra Lepitre parked her car at the curb in front of 2871 Aurora Road in North Vancouver and walked to work from there. At lunchtime, Amrinder Singh and Jaskirat Singh Sekhon, who had been working at a nearby construction site, sat on the street in front of Ms. Lepitre's car to eat. While they were there, Ms. Lepitre returned to her car intending to drive off on an errand. She struck both men.
This video caught my attention as Dr. Doebel starts out by talking about how difficult it is to learn to drive. She explained that it was not due to learning later on in life rather than at 16 and that she would come back from her lessons totally wiped out. It was due to heavy use of the brain's executive function.
Mirror, signal, shoulder check, move. These are the four steps for a successful lane changes. Simple enough one would expect, until you watch what goes on around you in traffic today.