Collisions

A rear-end collision usually puts the focus on the driver who struck the vehicle ahead, but that does not necessarily mean the following driver is entirely responsible. A 2009 decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court provides a good example of why both drivers' actions may have to be considered.

What responsibility does a driver have when stopping a vehicle creates a hazard for other road users? A 2009 decision of the Supreme Court of British Columbia illustrates that complying with a specific traffic rule is not necessarily the end of the matter.

Passing lanes are designed to help drivers move safely around slower traffic, but problems can arise when a pass is not completed before the lane ends. A BC court case provides an important lesson about cooperation, awareness, and avoiding a collision when two lanes become one.

A BC Supreme Court case considered a rear-end collision that occurred while drivers were complying with BC's Slow Down, Move Over law. The court concluded that complying with the law did not make the following driver negligent when another vehicle made an unsafe last-minute lane change.

If you stop at a stop sign, does the cross-traffic always have the right-of-way? Most drivers in British Columbia assume the answer is yes, but the legal reality under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) might surprise you.

If you bend your fender in British Columbia today, don't expect the police to attend. In fact, police reporting requirements for minor crashes vanished long ago. Unless someone is injured or killed, officers rarely attend the scene.

Failing to measure a load properly is an expensive crisis on B.C. highways. About once a month, an over-height vehicle or its load is involved in a collision with an overpass somewhere in British Columbia. According to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, these preventable infrastructure crashes cause millions of dollars in structural damage, gridlock commuter traffic, and compromise public safety.

Have you ever spotted a bright yellow ribbon tied to a crashed car beside a British Columbia highway? If you are driving on any BC road, seeing this tape is an important signal. It means BC emergency services have already been to the scene, checked for injuries, and cleared the vehicle. If you see that yellow ribbon, you do not need to call emergency services.

Question: The scenario is a two car accident. Both parties have different versions of what happened but it happened in a gas station parking lot with video cameras pointed at the location of the accident. I requested the surveillance video but the gas station refuses to provide it and states I need a court order.