Changing Lanes After a Left Turn in BC: Who Has the Right of Way?

Q&A ImageQuestion: After I have turned left onto a street that has 2 lanes of travel for my direction, how far do I have to drive before I can change into the right lane? I recently had a situation where a driver turning right on red nearly hit me when I tried to move over. Who is at fault?

Motorcycle Safety in BC: Sharing the Road as Riding Season Begins

A motorcycle rider on a BC road demonstrating safe lane positioning Braap, braaaap, braaaaaaaaaap, chug, chug, chug, chug. Yes, it's motorcycle season again. For many drivers—often referred to as "cagers" by the riding community—it is the time of year to complain about engine noise. For riders, however, it is a season defined by the constant risk of being overlooked by drivers who simply fail to see them.

Why Don't BC Drivers Follow the Traffic Rules?

image of person thinkingWhen the conversation turns to driving one of the first questions raised is why don't B.C. drivers follow the traffic rules? Our system is complex and involves people with many different skills, attitudes and perceived needs. They see themselves as good drivers and believe that other road users are the problem to be solved.

Parking: An (Almost) Complete Guide

image of a vehicle parallel parkingAccording to Reinventing Parking, our cars sit idle for 95% of their lives. This means that we need a proper place to store them when they are not being used. The nature of the demand for parking spaces has created a collection of rules and defines the urgency for their enforcement.

Random Road Safety Questions

image of an InboxI've been trolling through the DriveSmartBC inbox for inspiration this morning. There are a lot of road safety questions there that deserve to be mentioned. Thanks to all who contributed to the following:

Active Hazard Perception Skills

image of road hazard ahead signDo you wait for a situation to happen and then react to it when you drive? If so, mastering active hazard perception would be the most effective step that you could take to keep yourself safe on B.C.'s roads. Being proactive behind the wheel identifies potential threats before they become dangerous and helps you avoid being involved in a crash.

Traffic Enforcement Monitor for a Day

image of officer doing traffic enforcementI was working traffic enforcement and had stopped a speeding driver. When I was serving a copy of the speeding ticket to her I noticed a pickup truck pull in behind my police vehicle. When the ticket recipient pulled away the driver got out and approached me. "You can't write speeding tickets here" he stated.

Rules for Mobility Scooters

image typical of covered mobility scootersQuestion: My father wants to know about the rules for mobility scooters in B.C. The one that he is considering is completely covered so he can drive it in Comox and Courtenay all winter long.

Driving Attitude and You

Exclamation"Haven't you got anything better to do?" This was a common attitude expressed by drivers after being told that they had been stopped for a traffic rule infraction. "Why aren't you out catching real criminals?"