Unsafe Driving Practices

B.C.'s slow down move over law is now more than 15 years old. Many drivers continue to fail to slow down and move over when possible, putting the safety of roadside workers at unnecessary risk. A BCAA survey suggests that 70% of drivers are still unsure of what to do.

The "Me First!" driver is one whose default attitude is competition rather than cooperation. Their sense of entitlement leads to prioritizing personal convenience over safety. High risk driving behaviours are commonly chosen to accomplish their desire to get ahead and that increases the chance of a collision with the other drivers around them.

On August 25, 2025 Shawnigan Lake R.C.M.P. were called to a fatal collision where 12 year old Xavier Rasul-Jankovics had been rollerblading on the road. He was struck and killed by a passing 17 year old driver travelling at high speed. After striking the child the driver then collided with a utility pole, injuring both occupants of the car. This is the start of the story that resulted in the creation of Xavier's Law.

Whenever I am driving on a highway with more than one lane for my direction of travel I can expect multiple drivers to make an unsafe lane change in front of me. This robs me of the space cushion that I have established and requires me to drop back to regain it. When the roads are covered in slush this type of lane change can have significant risk for the driver behind.

Heading out to collect some firewood for the winter this weekend? Fall was always a good time to watch for pickup trucks with pyramids of firewood in the back on our highways. When checked they were often illegal, and unsafe, in three ways: unsecured load, overweight and a danger to vehicle occupants if the pickup was involved in a collision.