This report is an environmental scan created by TIRF in partnership with Drop it and Drive. The main objective of this work was to compile current statistics, information and lessons learned about distracted driving strategies that have been implemented by different sectors and regions.
A visitor to the site has asked the following: "I have seen a few trucks driving around residential areas that are really polluting. I wanted to report them somewhere with the hope of them getting a notice or something to hopefully look after this issue. I cannot find a phone number or an email where this can be done. Do you know how can I report this truck?" It's a great question as vehicles like this affect the air that you and I breathe. We should have some method to deal with problem vehicles that we encounter in our day to day life.
Bulky winter clothing could put your child at risk by reducing or defeating the protection provided by a child restraint. The video below shows how a crash test dummy in a bulky winter coat slides between the straps of a child restraint in a simulated 50 km/h frontal collision. The coat prevents the straps from tightening properly against the child's body. Remember, if you pinch the straps between your fingers you must not be able to fold any of the strap. If you can, it is still too loose.
The choice of a safe travel speed depending on the driving environment can be as varied as the number of drivers on the highway. I can recall responding to an injury crash on a icy divided highway where both the ambulance and I were using the left lane and all emergency warning equipment. Even with the urgency of the situation, travelling at 95 in the posted 110 km/h zone seemed to be appropriate to both of us.
The police must follow the provisions of the Emergency Vehicle Driving Regulation when they intend to employ the exemption from the rules of the road set out in the Motor Vehicle Act. In this case, Constable Jacobson was driving his police vehicle on Highway 97 at Daimler Drive in West Kelowna approaching a red light. Hoping to save a few minutes arriving at a complaint he activated the police vehicles's emergency lights and siren about 4 - 5 vehicle lengths’ back from the beginning of the left turn lane on Highway 97 going south.
From the video's description on the TED web site:
Statistically, the least reliable part of the car is ... the driver. Chris Urmson heads up Google's driverless car program, one of several efforts to remove humans from the driver's seat. He talks about where his program is right now, and shares fascinating footage that shows how the car sees the road and makes autonomous decisions about what to do next.
Unless you are the only vehicle on the highway (and one cannot ever be entirely certain of that) you are one piece in a two dimensional puzzle that must fit in with all the other pieces. Put simply, before you do something, you must consider how that will affect you and all the others around you before you do it. If your intended action will negatively impact on someone else, you must not do it. How often do you see the road users around you relying on chance to keep everyone safe?
I was recently issued a ticket for failure to stop at a yellow light at an intersection. I am a class 2 bus operator and given the total stopping time of my class 2 vehicle (perception/reaction/actual braking time) and the fact I had a elderly person seated at the front on my bus, I thought it would be unsafe to either try and make a smooth controlled stop (which would have left the bus past the stop line) or make a sudden stop (possibly causing the elderly passenger to leave her seat).
This case was sparked by a driver who felt that he was entitled to be next in line at a Tim Horton's drive through in Mill Bay, B.C. He attempted to assert his place by bumping the tire of the pickup truck he felt that he should be in front of. Giving way because of the size difference, this man caught up to the pickup on the highway after they had exited the drive through. He pulled in front of it and braked suddenly several times, finally coming to a stop in the curb lane.
Driving should involve co-operation, not a contest. There is no doubt that my point of view has been influenced by four decades of driving experience, 25 years of collision investigation and daily observation of what goes on around me when I drive. The selfish driver is easy to identify in the traffic around me.