Miscellaneous

A gentleman that I watched in traffic court was determined to present his defense as thoroughly as possible. He had a manual with him and a collection of about a dozen pictures that he wanted to use to prove his point. Supporting your testimony with illustration is often a good way to show what is difficult to describe with words.

Question: I often coast down a high hill in order to save on gas if there is no traffic behind me. I notice that there is a traffic offence called: "Coast down grade illegally" on the ICBC website with a fine of $121.00 and a 2 point assessment. Is what I do coasting down grade illegally and why would that be a problem?

Have you ever wondered what is going by you on the highway contained inside heavy transport vehicles? The transportation of dangerous goods rules require that the larger loads be marked with placards to identify the cargo. In the event of an emergency involving these vehicles, first responders can easily identify the cargo and decide what to do.

Question: I live in a strata with a straight fire lane running through it. The speed limit is clearly marked by signs and large print on the road. Residents (owner and counsel members) from the units farthest the street willfully speed past my unit in excess of thrice the limit of 15km/h. I have tried talking to them and informed our council but all to no avail - in fact speed bumps were removed.

This video from Consumer Reports explains what to do if you vehicle is subject to sudden, uncontrolled acceleration.

Question: Two years ago an elderly woman ran into me with her personal go-cart. She hit me from behind, at full throttle as I sat on a chair in the back row of an outdoor concert. The force of the collision was enough to drive me and my chair under the chair of the man in front of me. Her intent was to stop and park, but she was white-knuckled on the throttle and her attendant daughter was not paying attention.

The Road Safety Toolkit provides free information on the causes and prevention of serious road crashes. Building on decades of road safety research, the Toolkit helps engineers, planners and policy makers develop safety plans for car occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians, bicyclists, heavy vehicle occupants and public transport users.

Link:

In the time that I have been writing this column I have accumulated many different topics. The requests have been varied, but I must admit, I never would have come up with this week's topic myself. A reader has asked about vehicles owned by dead people.

We strongly believe that now is the time to focus on changing the way that transportation planning is being conducted! Not only does every community have a network of roads and streets, but people in just about every community we have worked with for the last 34 years, have experienced problems related to their streets.

This is a dangerous time of year for my morning commute. The sun is just above the horizon and in four locations I am looking directly into it while I drive. Even with my visor down and one hand up to block the reflection from the hood, it is still very difficult to see ahead of me.