Police

Question: I was recently pulled over in a traffic stop. The RCMP officer left me in a very dangerous spot to pull back into highway traffic as I was towing a trailer and load. It was a danger for me and other drivers on the highway.

What do you have to tell the police during a traffic stop? Occasionally I would stop a driver who had committed a traffic violation that would roll down their driver's window half an inch, poke their driver's licence out and roll the window back up to await service of a ticket.

You've just received a traffic ticket and from your point of view the officer definitely had a bad attitude when they issued it to you. I'll dispute the ticket and tell the court exactly what I think may cross your mind as you consider your situation. Surely the justice will see your point and give you a break.

Question: I recently got pulled over for speeding by a police officer. He gave me a notice and order to get my motorbike safety inspected. On the notice he wrote down the name of the inspection facility that I have to use. Can he do this?

What happened the last time that you decided to deal with a road safety problem? Were you successful in your quest? Were your views taken "for information purposes?" Did you get sucked into the whirlpool of "that's not my job" or worse still, ignored completely?

I've written before about the three Es of road safety; education, engineering and enforcement. The enforcement component was the subject of a comment to me concerning a visible police presence on our highways. The observation was that the use of unmarked police cars contributes to what seems like minimal enforcement and creates an "I can get away with it" mindset.

Occasionally you may find yourself waiting in a long line of vehicles for extended periods because a crash has temporarily shut down a highway. Here are some insights as to why the RCMP, working with the area highways contractor, has closed the road.

The subject of an officer using his or her discretion in the issuance of a traffic ticket is often part of what I receive in an e-mail asking for help. Usually the inquiry is from someone who is preparing for traffic court and feels that in their case the officer should have given them a warning instead of a ticket. Sometimes I agree with them and sometimes I don't.

This is a case of "do as I say, not as I do." A DriveSmartBC newsletter reader reports that they admit to making a conscious decision to disobey a couple of traffic laws the other day. They did not follow the speed limit and failed to keep to the right lane.

#EyesFwdBC! September means that it is distracted driving campaign time. ICBC tells us that distracted driving is involved in about 38% of collisions in B.C. each year. On average, 78 people die each year in a crash where distracted driving is a contributing factor.