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We might think that we are good at multitasking when we drive but neurobiology tells a different story. The multitasking myth contributes to the risk of being involved in a collision because our brain is not wired to do it.
Spreading rock salt on the highway during or after a weather event melts snow and ice already present to improve traction. Spraying brine on the highway before a weather event is preventative maintenance. The salt will already be there to prevent snow and ice from sticking to the pavement surface so it is easier to remove.
Here is a series of four videos from TranBC that are part of the Be Truck Aware initiative. They illustrate dangerous choices made by the drivers of small vehicles when they fail to share the road properly with heavy trucks.
Driving in poor weather conditions requires choosing an appropriate speed and then continually adjusting that speed as the conditions change. The speed signs beside our roads set the maximum for driving in ideal conditions and sometimes drivers forget this. You must consider those around you as well as yourself.
Road Guy Rob is a civil engineer who delights in explaining traffic engineering to the public. In this episode Rob explains about how pedestrian fatalities in the US have increased signifcantly since 2010. The aspects of highway design that he examines apply equally well here in B.C.
This video from Young Drivers of Canada shows the safest following distance on the road and how to adjust this distance depending on the road conditions. Maintaining a safe following distance does not appear to be a skill that is practised by a majority of drivers today and the video is a good refresher on a skill that you should be practising without fail whenever you drive.
Aspiring new drivers were in the news this week. ICBC says that the number of driving tests conducted on Vancouver Island in May 2023 increased by 22% over normal monthly levels. Unfortunately, almost half of the hopeful licence candidates failed their test.
This video by Technology Connections made me stop and think for a minute. Brake lights all work the same way, don't they? Apparently not now that we have electric vehicles with regenerative braking. These vehicles can slow abruptly without triggering the brake lights according to this video.
This video is a report to the Capital Reginal District's Traffic Safety Commission by Helia Sehatpour who is a doctoral student in environmental psychology at the University of Victoria. It provides an overview of her work on the Commission data review project to document factors that contribute to serious injury and fatal collisions in the Capital Regional District and the Malahat Highway.
Before I watched this video warning against driving most cars through water on the road that is 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) deep, I probably would not have considered it to be worth my while to find another way around. With flood warnings currently being issued for various parts of BC, the knowledge shared here could help you avoid thousands of dollars in repair costs.