CASE LAW - Uy v Dhillon

BC Courts Coat of ArmsThis case resolves liability for a collision between a car driven by Johnberlyn Uy and a tractor-trailer combination driven by Daljit Singh Dhillon on the Coquihalla Highway just west of the Zopkios brake check. The collision occurred in the early morning hours of January 31, 2014 following a winter storm. At that time the road conditions were relatively good, consisting of a light coat of a mixture of compact snow and sand.

The conclusion of Madam Justice Marzari was that Mr. Dhillon had made a lane change to pass a slower moving tractor-trailer combination that put him in Mr. Uy's path of travel suddenly and without warning. Mr. Uy attempted to avoid a collision by steering suddenly to the right but was unsuccessful, striking the rear trailer of Mr. Dhillon's combination.

Of interest in this case is the discussion concerning lane changes, following too closely and particularly what the configuration of highway lanes is considered to be when the lines marking them are covered with snow.

Link:

Interesting tale (though it takes quite a while to ingest). 

I'm certain the eventual judgment is accurate. But I sure think that people need to give themselves more room, too; that there Honda driver didn't ever see the clear road ahead of him necessary to aim for it, from the evidence.

I notice they didn't mention the rules that were introduced about a year back, restricting truck movements on some parts of the Coq during the winter. But then again, these probably only apply on the upgrades, to ensure there's still a travelling lane beyond, whereas this crash occurred on the downgrade from the peak.