Five Dollar Head, Five Dollar Helmet

Bicycle HelmetThe observation "five dollar head, five dollar helmet" used to be common in traffic law enforcement referring to motorcycle riders who wore beanie style helmets that would provide little or no protection in a crash. Today, that observation could be extended to those who choose to ride a bicycle with inadequate protection. What would that say about the value of a head that was not protected at all?

VISION ZERO INITIATIVE - A Different Approach from Sweden

Vision Zero Initiative Logo"Any loss of life in traffic is unacceptable." This is the philosophy of traffic safety in Sweden. The Vision Zero Initiative sets an ultimate target of no deaths or serious injuries on Sweden’s roads, and is not merely content to reduce accidents to an economically manageable level. The focus is on the system, not only the driver and has been incorporated into national law.

Q&A - Learner from Outside BC - Do I Need to Display an L?

New Driver Signs 2011My husband and I are planning to take the 14 hour drive from Peace country down to the okanagan, on to vancouver and back to alberta for the long weekend in May. I'm super excited to visit my small home town and be able to drive around in it. We got to talking and I can't find anything anywhere stating I'm not allowed to drive in B.C.

Beware the Flower Clown and Other Roadside Characters

Cst. Martell in disguiseI would imagine that your opinion of police traffic surveillance tactics probably depends a lot on whether you are the recipient of a ticket or not because of them. You may have actually seen Corporal Smith in Nanaimo dressed up as the Easter Bunny or Constable Martell of Kelowna wearing a hoodie and holding up a sign made of cardboard. They certainly got to see a lot of traffic violators and provided information to pick up teams a bit further down the road.

Q&A - HOV Lane Speed Limits

Q&A ImageQuestion: I am having difficulty with HOV Lanes and speed limits. Here are two different scenarios that I'm curious about and a comment about (non) enforcement of the speed limit during rush hour. I am uncomfortable using the HOV lane due to the dangerous behaviour of drivers overtaking me from the rear when I follow the speed limit.

CASE LAW - R v Engelbrecht

BC Courts Coat of ArmsKaarina Engelbrecht was reported to police as an erratic driver on March 27, 2011. Her vehicle was located by patrols and after an altercation at roadside she was taken to the Kelowna RCMP detachment for breath testing. She provided breath samples of 110 mg% and was charged with driving without due care and attention.

CASE LAW - R v Bekkers

BC Courts Coat of ArmsClare Bekkers spent the evening at a friend's residence in Victoria drinking and using cocaine. The following day she collected her young children and headed home to Nanaimo. When she started her journey that day at 12:30 pm her blood alcohol level was between 93 and 148 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. There was some indication that she may have consumed beer in her vehicle on the way home.

Driving While Using Hand Held Devices

TextingAny chance you might do another article on handheld device usage in BC? The first rider death of 2012 in Kelowna was caused by driver inattention to cell phone usage. I've attached a photo that was just taken this Saturday. We actually took several - I was driving, my wife was operating the camera. This particular one clearly shows what has the driver's attention.

ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION - Pedaling Towards a Healthier Planet

CyclistI was impressed with the cycling facilities I saw when I visited Portland, Oregon, and by the number of people that I saw using them. Cycle paths, accomodation for bicycles on light rail and the bus and even traffic signals that applied directly to cyclists. All of these things worked together to promote the use of the bicycle for both commuting and recreation because they increased the safety a cyclist felt.