Behaviour

Information related to driver behaviour.

READING - A Deadly Wandering

A Deadly WanderingThis is a very interesting book about distracted driving. Interwoven with the story about Reggie Shaw and how he caused a double fatal collision by texting while driving is information on the research and researchers who are studying how our brain deals with the distraction from mobile phone use while driving. To put it bluntly, we are incapable of driving safely while using a mobile phone, hands on, hands free or texting while driving. We just think that we are good at it and the other guy is the problem. That's not so and the book explains why.

Keep Right Except to Pass Law Changes Coming?

Keep Right SignThe Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure has announced changes to the Motor Vehicle Act to make it easier for police to prosecute slow drivers using the fast lane on B.C.'s highways. The promised changes will occur later this spring according to Todd Stone, but there does not appear to be any indication of this in current first reading bills. Perhaps the first question that needs to be asked is whether or not this is really a significant cause of collisions and deserving of increased enforcement.

Young Driver Deaths: BC Coroners Service

SoapboxThe BC Coroners Service released recommendations today with the hope of mitigating something that we are already aware of, the fact that motor vehicle collisions are the number one cause of death for youth aged 15 to 18. The first two suggest that we study aspects of the issue in more detail and the third that the Ministry of Justice should develop and implement automated speed enforcement. I agree that a thorough understanding of the issue and a review of other jurisdictions best practices may lead to solutions but the devil and I will probably go ice skating together before automated speed enforcement returns to our province.

Was I Ready to Learn to Drive?

Young Drivers of Canada LogoBe careful what you ask for! I needed a topic to write about here so I sent a message to DriveSmartBC followers on Twitter and asked for suggestions. The one that intrigued me the most came from fellow road safety blogger Scott Marshall, the Director of Training for Young Drivers of Canada. He asked if, when I learned to drive, was I really ready?

ICBC FILES - Top Frauds of 2014

ICBC LogoAn exaggerated injury claim refuted by a travel blog; a hit-and-run victim turned perpetrator; and a false identity detected with facial recognition technology—these are just three of the most interesting cases from ICBC's fraud files last year.

HUMAN FACTORS - Speeding

Speed DemonIn a public opinion survey of Canadian knowledge of and attitudes towards vehicle safety features, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) found that a concerning 67.3% Canadians agree or strongly agree that vehicle safety improvements make being involved in a collision less likely, meaning that they can drive faster. In addition, 17.2% agreed or strongly agreed that they would drive the speed limit or faster if their vehicle had safety features, even though it was raining and they felt it might be risky to drive the speed limit.

RESEARCH - 100 Car Naturalistic Study

Toy CarThe 100 Car Naturalistic Driving Study was conducted under the auspices of NHTSA. The study is described in this quote from the web site:

PSYCHOLOGY - Driving Personality Test

Road RageThis 60 question test from the folks at Psychology Today magazine will present you with your driving strengths and weaknesses when you complete it. The site suggests that it takes 20 minutes to complete, but I managed to get through it in about 10 minutes without rushing. Answer honestly and see how you rate as a safe or risky driver.

VIDEO - The Unpredictable Pedestrian

video iconA lot can happen in just the 23 seconds of this video contributed by Orang Gila, taken in Maple Ridge, just past the Safeway at Dewdney Trunk Road. Keep an eye out for the pedestrian on the right sidewalk mid-block who is clearly dithering about crossing the street and is having difficulty finding a large enough gap in the four lanes of traffic that she must cross on the busy street.

NEWS - Penalty Points for Distracted Driving Behaviours

province of bcI'm sure that you have heard by now that the BC government has announced penalty points to go with a violation ticket for talking on a handheld device while driving. This new penalty, which also covers infractions like watching a DVD, programming a phone’s GPS, and operating hand-held audio players, is being combined with the $167 fine already in place and is now consistent with the three points and $167 fine currently given to drivers for texting.

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