DriveSmartBC

Chances are good that when you think about car insurance your first thought is about how much it is going to cost you rather than how well it is going to protect you if something goes wrong. You might even be tempted to shade the truth about who will be driving your vehicle or how they will be using it to reduce those costs. Be very careful how you make decisions about insurance as making poor choices can put you at huge financial risk post crash.

Brad Gorski is a 30 year-old resident Vancouver, B.C. who enjoys taking in the city and spending time with his family and friends. He experienced the dangers of distracted driving first hand by driving and texting, failing to stop for a red light. He was hit by a heavy truck and tells his story in this TEDx video.

On August 21, 2018 Philip Partridge was observed by police looking downward while driving. After being stopped, it was noted that he had a cellphone wedged between the folds of the passenger seat with the screen facing him. The screen was not lit when the officer looked inside Mr. Partidge's vehicle.

Here's another complaint from the DriveSmartBC Inbox: "Please speak to the situation that I call the "Invisible White Lines" on our highways as soon as we get some rain and whilst driving in the dark. Night visibility in winter is terrible.

Christina Block was driving eastbound on Yarrow Central Road near No. 3 Road in Yarrow. She and her family were returning from the movies. Kevin Schmitt was driving westbound and veered into the Block's lane, causing a sideswipe collision. Ms. Block pulled over and stopped but Mr. Schmitt did not.

Here's a document from the US Federal Highway Authority that looks at the safety benefit of pedestrian countdown signals. The study results showed that after the implementation of these signals, pedestrian crashes decreased by 9 percent, total crashes decreased by 8 percent and rear-end crashes decreased by 12 percent.

On November 7, 2018 Cst. Neid was participating in a two person enforcement operation where he was the observer beside Highway 33 in Kelowna. In his evidence he states that he observed Corinne Jackson driving toward him "shovelling" food from a bowl into her mouth and was not holding the steering wheel.

Cst. Neid estimate the speed of Ms. Jackson's vehicle at 60 km/h in the 50 km/h speed zone.

We all know that the law requires that we wear our seat belts when driving. The Motor Vehicle Act says in part "..wear the complete seat belt assembly in a properly adjusted and securely fastened manner." Why should we worry, and how do we know what is proper?

This case resolves liability for a collision that took place at the intersection of Rutherford Road and Cedar Ridge Place in Nanaimo. A car was being driven eastbound on Rutherford Road by Gordon Pereira at a speed of between 80 and 115 km/h in the 50 km/h municipal speed zone. A van driven by William Jory stopped at the stop sign northbound on Cedar Ridge Place and then began to turn west on Rutherford Road.