DriveSmartBC

We all like to think that we are observant and as safe drivers, nothing should get by our eagle eyes. However, there is a feature of how our brain processes what we are seeing called situational blindness. This video from the UK is actually part of a cycling safety campaign and shows how much the scene in our visual field can change without us noticing.

I watched a recent television news story about a traffic collision that interviewed family members exiting the courthouse. One of the people lamented that if the known bad driver had been prohibited from driving the whole incident that brought them there never would have happened. If only it were that simple, because a driver will only stop driving after being prohibited if they want to comply with the law.

Human error is responsible for between 75% and 90% of crashes, but this report from Australia suggests that the system that a driver makes the error within needs to be more carefully examined. The system either contributes to the error or shapes the driver's behaviour that produces the error.

Have you ever met anyone that would admit to being less than a better than average driver? This is a question that I often ask even when I know what the answer will be.

Dynamic speed display signs are popping up beside B.C.'s Highways. They display the speed of passing vehicles above a sign showing the posted speed limit. Are these signs useful in persuading drivers to keep to the limit and if so, how effective are they?

Spring ahead this weekend as Daylight Saving Time begins for another year. However, watch out for a lack of spring in your step as you drive to work on Monday morning. The crash rate then is 23% higher than the crash rate of the preceding Monday according to the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation.

Few of us like to live life on the edge. We save money for a rainy day, plan ahead in our lives and expect that everything around us has a built in safety factor. If it turns out that an insufficient safety factor injures us we expect someone to be responsible for it. So, why do we often choose to impose the thinnest of margins when we drive?

Watch AT&T's new 10-minute documentary titled "The Last Text," featuring stories of real individuals whose lives have been adversely affected by texting behind the wheel.

It is fortunate that this type of collision is relatively rare because the consequences are severe. I am speaking of driving the wrong way on a divided highway or freeway. We received about one complaint a month when I was working on Central Island Traffic Services in Parksville.

Most of us expect a reasonable margin of safety in our lives, especially if what we are involved in is only partially under or is beyond our control. Woe to anyone who would presume to reduce this margin without our knowledge and consent! Why then is it acceptable to minimize or disregard this for both ourselves and others when we get behind the wheel?