Highway Construction Zone Safety 101

With large road and highway construction projects scattered around the Metro Vancouver area, construction zone safety has become a very great concern. As early as 2007, spikes in the number of collisions on Lower Mainland roads involving traffic control construction flag personnel had gotten the attention of some in the media and the government, enough to spark a large scale advertising campaign by Worksafe BC involving large high visibility signs at large road construction sites profiling many BC families who have members in the road construction industry.

There is much more road construction going on today in the Greater Vancouver area and construction zone safety is more important than it ever was before. With huge projects stretching virtually from Langley to Whistler, drivers need to pay close attention and adhere to some common sense rules to avoid involvement in dangerous construction-zone crashes and incidents.

Here are some of the things that you as a driver can do to minimize the dangers of driving through a road construction area;

1. Reduce your speed
2. Always obey traffic control personnel (flag persons)
   
3. Keep plenty of space around your vehicle, so that you can manoeuvre if you need to - most importantly, leave considerable following distance
   
4. Keep your eyes scanning well ahead of you and to the sides of the road for approaching hazards
5. Use extra caution around construction equipment - machine operators have 2 jobs to do when they have to watch traffic as well as perform other duties

Using extra caution when driving through these hazardous areas is a must. Check radio traffic reports frequently and avoid areas where there is heavy congestion due to construction. Plan alternative routes to avoid these areas whenever possible. Not driving through a construction zone is probably the safest way to navigate it :)

Heavy Rain, Flooding and Hydroplaning...

We're into much more typical Vancouver weather this early January. The new year has brought us heavy rains that any Vancouverite should be familiar with. With the heavy rains come widespread flooding and with the flooding comes road closures and the possibility of dangerous tire hydroplaning.

Tire hydroplaning occurs (see diagram top left) when your tire(s) lose contact with the road surface due to riding up on a cushion of standing water. When this happens, you lose that tire's ability to control the car with the normal friction vs. road surface that you are accustomed to. Naturally, it's more common for your front tires to hydroplane as the front is the part of the car that hits any puddle first, but you can of course hydroplane with your rear tires as well.

When your front tires start to hydroplane, you will most likely lose steering control momentarily. The safest thing to do when you find yourself in this position is to hold the wheel firmly and wait for the hydroplaning to stop (usually only a split second or so) and be prepared for a jerk or pulling sensation on the wheel when you start to get friction with the road surface once more. Avoid the urge to jerk the wheel left or right or to brake until you feel your vehicle once again in contact with the road surface.

Hydroplaning will be affected by the following factors; tire condition (how much tread remains - more tread reduces the risk of hydroplaning,) water depth (the deeper the water, the greater your chance of hydroplaning,) relative tire width (the wider the tires, the greater the chance of hydroplaning) and finally and most crucially, your vehicle's speed (the greater your speed, the greater the risk of hydroplaning.) If you find your vehicle hydroplaning, reduce your speed to alleviate the problem.

Parking Lot Etiquette

As the final week of Xmas shopping looms over everyone participating, people are understandably hurried and distracted. Of all times, now is when it's most important to show courtesy and patience in parking lots, especially in busy shopping malls where it's sometimes nigh-impossible even to find a space. I thought I'd list a few important situations where parking lot etiquette will make everyone's life a lot easier;

• Follow the Rules: Most large parking lots have speed limits and regulation-style road markings in them. Many parking lot users, perhaps knowing that they are unlikely to be stopped and given a traffic violation ticket pay little attention to these posted signs and rules. It might be obvious to you, but not everyone realizes how much more efficiently traffic moves in parking lots if people follow normal road rules in them and obey the posted signs.
• Position Your Car Accurately: Pulling into your spot all the way and positioning your vehicle evenly between the lines will help other parking lot users to get into their spots easier, but it will also help you to avoid parking lot dings from doors being opened into your vehicle from cars which ended up too close to you.
• Don't Misuse Restricted Use Spaces: Misusing restricted use spaces like handicapped parking spaces, family parking spaces, police parking spaces and compact car spaces may cause one of the aforementioned to park in a poor position and risk someone else's safety and/or convenience. This can obviously have a negative effect on the efficiency of traffic flow in any parking lot.
• Use Patience / Slow Down: Hurrying through a parking lot and compromising on safety can put pedestrians at risk. The more crowded the parking lot, the more pedestrians will be wandering around it, in and among the automobiles. Hitting a pedestrian, even at a low speed can be tragic for everyone involved.
• Be Careful with Buggies: Always place shopping buggies / carts in designated areas. Loose buggies, especially in parking lots which are not level can be very hazardous for vehicles and even pedestrians.
• Watch for Other Drivers' Mistakes: Be observant for drivers backing out of spots with poor visibility, or drivers who may be distracted by a pedestrian or by their search for a parking spot. Defensive drivers watch for the errors of other road users and always leave themselves space to get around a potential problem or hazard.
• Be Courteous & Yield the Right of Way: This is an old driver training mantra that I have heard for the past 25 years or so, but it's important, "Right of way is given, not taken." If there is any question of whose turn it is at a corner in a parking lot, always let the other driver go first. You will never lose more than a few seconds, and you could avoid an annoying holiday-season parking lot fender-bender.

Please respect everyone else out there this holiday season. The extra patience you show and the extra attention you devote to courtesy will not only make the roads safer, it will also get you home in a more relaxed, happy state. Happy Holidays everyone, from Bestway Driver Training!

New Plug-In Electric Vehicle Pilot Project in Vancouver

When I was driving in Vancouver at rush hour the other day, I noticed a new plug-in electric Mitsubishi concept vehicle called an i-MiEV driving around. I was curious so I researched it a little bit and I found out that earlier this year, the City of Vancouver and Mitsubishi Motors Sales of Canada signed what is called a 'memorandum of understanding (MoU)' to test a couple of new electric vehicles in and around the City of Vancouver.

Some of the concept vehicles are apparently being used by the City of Vancouver and some are being used by BC Hydro. As more vehicles are built, they are able to be added to the respective fleets to increase the pilot project.

I'm personally excited about this initiative, partially because when Ontario considered plug-in vehicles, they decided to offer free government-operated charging stations in metropolitan areas as an incentive to get people buying plug in vehicles. I hope for a similar project in British Columbia - specifically in Vancouver but hopefully in other cities around the province as well.

I will be eagerly awaiting more news about this initiative.

Impending Distracted Driver Legislation

BC will be implementing new Distracted Driver legislation this Winter. If the additions to the Motor Vehicle Act are approved, starting January 1, 2010 drivers will be prohibited from operating a cellphone while driving a motor vehicle except by utilizing a hands free device with one-touch operation. Drivers in the Graduated Licensing Program will not be permitted to operate communications devices at all.

Also restricted is any use of mp3 devices such as ipods, any adjustment or programming of GPS systems, whether installed as a factory-option or not. The operation of virtually all peripheral electronic devices will be prohibited while operating a vehicle on BC roads.

Starting February 1, 2010 drivers who are caught texting or dialing on their cellphones will be fined $167 under new legislation. Drivers who are in the Graduated Licensing Program will be fined the same amount but will additionally be given 3 points on their license.

This legislation mirrors similar campaigns in Ontario, Manitoba, PEI, Nova Scotia and Quebec. Alberta, like BC has announced its own distracted driver legislation this fall. It also comes on the heels of several university studies which have demonstrated critically high levels of driver impairment or distraction by cellphone / text device usage - levels which in some cases exceed impairment by alcohol!

I'm certain that many others will be feeling somewhat relieved as I do that this legislation has finally been adopted. Please do your part and avoid both the distraction and the financial expense of using your cellphone while driving, except when absolutely necessary and only with a one-touch handsfree device.

Tailgating

This week I'd like to discuss safe following distances. Many people might be familiar with the uncomfortable feeling of someone following your vehicle too closely. Having another driver right on your bumper feels terrible because it is very unsafe.

Immediately in front of and behind your vehicle is a danger zone which you have to keep open and filled with space. There is a specific distance that you must be following another vehicle, any closer than which you will not be able to stop should the vehicle in front of you suddenly brake for an emergency.

A rule of thumb for finding a safe following distance is to make sure that your vehicle is following at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you in ideal conditions. As conditions are very rarely ideal, especially on the 'Wet Coast', I advocate an extended following distance of 4 seconds while in the city and 6 seconds while on the highway. This will help to compensate for mechanical, environmental or driver conditions being less-than-ideal.

To find a safe following distance, as the vehicle ahead of you passes a landmark or signpost, begin counting 'one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three, one thousand and four' etc until your vehicle passes the object to ensure that your following distance is sufficient. Do not be afraid to leave a long following distance; if another driver pulls in front of you and reduces your space, simply lift your foot off of the accelerator and drop back a little before resuming your speed.

HOV Lane Madness...

I'm frequently frustrated when driving on Highway 1 between Vancouver and Coquitlam by other drivers' lack of understanding regarding the proper way to use the Highway 1 High Occupancy Vehicle lane. Many drivers think of this lane as an 'Express Lane', or a high-speed passing lane, which it is not.

The HOV lane has been set up as an alternative Traveling Lane, like the rightmost lane only with restricted and limited access. Access is restricted to vehicles with 2 occupants or more and is limited to specific locations immediately before and after on- and off-ramps. Due to this limited access, the HOV lane really cannot be used as a passing lane without breaking both the law and the spirit of the lane itself.

Last year, there was a tragic crash in the HOV lane eastbound between Brunette Avenue and the Cape Horn Interchange on Highway 1 in which a mother and 2 of her 3 children were killed. The vehicle which collided with their broken down vehicle in the HOV lane was a single-passenger vehicle which pulled into the HOV lane to execute a passing maneuver.

So, next time you are considering pulling into the HOV lane to 'sneak past' some traffic while alone in your vehicle, be aware that you could receive tickets for:

• Crossing a solid white line (points and a fine),
• Driving unlawfully in the HOV lane with less than 2 vehicle occupants (fine) and possibly,
• Speeding (points and a fine)

In addition you are violating the spirit of the HOV lane which is to reward multiple-passenger vehicles at rush hour when traffic becomes severely congested on Highway 1 with a limited-access lane that doesn't have people continually moving in and out of it.