Shoulder check

[mmfw12]

I shoulder check when appropriate for the traffic volume. I am always aware of who is behind me with frequent mirror checks.

Does anyone find it strange that in BC we have almost one crash death per day, month after month and year after year and the government does nothing?

If 60 people died in a plane crash there would be an investigation, recommendations and implementation. That is only two months of driver deaths here yet nothing ever changes.

First, if it were up to me, every driver would need re-testing every four years. The idea that you can pass a test once and drive for life is obviously not working.

The deaths are problematic but the injuries are a huge burden on our health care system that is almost completely unnecessary. Stop the crashes and save the health care system, a win win for everybody. I would like to see the stats of how many people are in our hospitals from road crash injuries.

Also you may have noticed I am not calling them “accidents” by definition an accident is not preventable yet most car crashes are preventable.

So that should all stir the pot some!

 

[slow-poke]

That sounds like fun to be honest...

I'm not sure how many here have driven either a race car or a neutral weighted true sports car that can four wheel drift safely at the limit. From past experience it sure is fun pushing said car through the turns. The vast majority of cars simply can't do that. My RX7 didn't have a lot of power, but it was 50/50 balanced and fun for that.

I have this image in my memory from 1988, I was driving through the Lake of the Woods area, not a great place to push a car, if you go off the road it's either water or a rock face. Two guys in a 911 convertible passed me the other way, wide eyed with big grins, driving (drifting in the curve) right on the threshold but in their lane. As risky as what they were doing was I still appreciate that they were using that car for what it was capable of. When I see car like that driven like it's a full sized Buick it just doesn't sit right with me.

 

[YotaBota]

Meh, sorry but to me it isn't a sports car if it has 4 doors or no clutch (real clutch).

And real airplanes have have a control stick, a propeller and a tailwheel. lol

@mmfw12 - I'm a BC boy and after 50+ years of driving I'm still amazed why it's the roads that talked about as unsafe and deadly. That's like the saying"you're making me look bad", I have nothing to do with the way you look. Drivers simply don't know and aren't taught how to stay in control, stay in their own lane and stay off the fricken phone.

Maybe retesting isn't a bad idea but them you've got the driving schools that can be bought.

Don't get e wrong, I've done my share of questionable driving but at least I could drive. I drifted thru an intersection in a 70 Cutlass Supreme and the cop stuck in traffic on the other side just shook his finger at me, driving can be a blast. lol

I put a 327 in the backseat of a 65 Corvair, that was fun!

 

[SomeGuy]

I shoulder check when appropriate for the traffic volume. I am always aware of who is behind me with frequent mirror checks.

Does anyone find it strange that in BC we have almost one crash death per day, month after month and year after year and the government does nothing?

If 60 people died in a plane crash there would be an investigation, recommendations and implementation. That is only two months of driver deaths here yet nothing ever changes.

First, if it were up to me, every driver would need re-testing every four years. The idea that you can pass a test once and drive for life is obviously not working.

The deaths are problematic but the injuries are a huge burden on our health care system that is almost completely unnecessary. Stop the crashes and save the health care system, a win win for everybody. I would like to see the stats of how many people are in our hospitals from road crash injuries.

Also you may have noticed I am not calling them “accidents” by definition an accident is not preventable yet most car crashes are preventable.

So that should all stir the pot some!

So what do you expect the government to do? Testing won't solve this and just add another burden onto everyone. So many government regulations just continue to make life more difficult for people, cost way more money than they should, and never solve the actual problems they set out to solve.

 

[Chicken lights]

So what do you expect the government to do? Testing won't solve this and just add another burden onto everyone. So many government regulations just continue to make life more difficult for people, cost way more money than they should, and never solve the actual problems they set out to solve.

Agreed. There was a police vehicle stolen somewhat recently, and someone was aghast that could happen (officer left it running to respond to something). Last I checked it was already illegal to commit grand theft auto so....

Our problem, as I see it, is lack of enforcement and a court system that won't support LEO. And I think it's a case of "monkey see monkey do" when it comes to driving habits, so many people get away with bad driving habits that others mimic them

no politics

 

[Downwindtracker2]

Most crashes are at intersections with drivers running the red light. Step up enforcement there. It not good enough to honk the air horns to warn driver to get out of your way. I have seen more than a few instances of that. If you pull their driving licensees for dangerous driving, they would fall behind in their dump truck payments. Then others would be more cautious . Most of our highways in B.C. have a Darwinian feature.

It's not just here. I was driving in Brisbane and the drivers were bad. After a while I said, I can drive just as bad, I'm from Vancouver.

 

[slow-poke]

Light turns green, I look both ways at what's coming at 90 degrees before proceeding. I wouldn't be here if I entered without looking, at least twice a full on dump truck going 80km/hr passed through the red light a good 2-3 seconds after it had turned red. I don't even want to think about getting hit in on the drivers side by something like that, unserviveable!

I push the speed limit from time time, but never run a red light. No tickets and no at fault accidents close to 50 years now. I was pulled over and warned numerous times when I was young and fooling around with my hot rod street cars. Seems to me that most cops can be quite lenient if you are very respectful and very aware of your surroundings, I think they have little patience for unaware drivers and I think thats a great way to police.

My dad got clipped from the side by a car being chased by the police, the guy was going really fast (~100MPH), so my dad did not see him because he looked in the normal view angle you would expect to see a car. The guy only hit the front 6" of my dad's car and sent the bumper flying (just sheared it off), the getaway car then lost control and flipped and rolled. The guy popped out and ran away, and 10 seconds later the cop cars with lights and sirens showed up. The guy got away.

 

[StevSmar]

What I find exceptionally tough is when there is a short right turn lane and you’re at 90+45 degrees to the traffic. I find I need to actively stretch for a good two minutes before I can see oncoming traffic. Add progressive glasses and I really should be catching taxis soon.

I always shoulder check, both ways, even if it hurts. Out next vehicle will have full collision detection, hopefully not posthumously.

 

[JustaDB]

The problem with motorcycles is when they lane split, especially in heavy traffic.

Rode through California on that rally trip I wrote about elsewhere. Tons of bikes splitting the lanes on the freeways. We were told that it was actually legal down there. Don't know if it's legit or not. Not something I'd be comfortable doing.

And, yes, there are a lot of asshole motorcycle riders out there. My hope is that en route to their date w/ Darwinism, they don't take anyone else w/ them.

 

[whydontu]

Some day when I’m really brave I’m going to react to the driver behind me who honks when I take 0.5 seconds to start moving when the light changes. (Every motorcycle rider I know waits a second before scooting across the intersection.)

My response (in my head) is: A decent income in Canada is $120k per year. At 50 weeks of 40-hours a week, that’s $60 an hour. Or $1 a minute. So the 2 seconds delay I caused preventing you from screaming through the intersection is worth 3 cents. But since we don’t have pennies any more, can I just give you a nickel for the wasted time and call it even?

 

[JustaDB]

Does nobody teach following room any more? I'm pretty sure my geriatric shop assistant said 1 car length per every 10 miles of speed, was what he was taught

We were taught in Driver's Ed 2 car lengths for every 10 mph. And, that was back when most cars were close to or at 20 feet long.

 

[JustaDB]

Maybe retesting isn't a bad idea but them you've got the driving schools that can be bought.

I'd support legislation for a tough driving retest every 5 years. You pass, it's on the house. You fail, it's out of your pocket.

 

[SomeGuy]

Some day when I’m really brave I’m going to react to the driver behind me who honks when I take 0.5 seconds to start moving when the light changes. (Every motorcycle rider I know waits a second before scooting across the intersection.)

My response (in my head) is: A decent income in Canada is $120k per year. At 50 weeks of 40-hours a week, that’s $60 an hour. Or $1 a minute. So the 2 seconds delay I caused preventing you from screaming through the intersection is worth 3 cents. But since we don’t have pennies any more, can I just give you a nickel for the wasted time and call it even?

What about the people in the cars behind you that don't make the light because of your delay? Do the math on the extra light cycles that takes to get through.

Not to mention, with people these days, how do you know they are going to move in the next second? Some people are completely oblivious and would sit at the green forever.

 

[JustaDB]

Our problem, as I see it, is lack of enforcement and a court system that won't support LEO. And I think it's a case of "monkey see monkey do" when it comes to driving habits, so many people get away with bad driving habits that others mimic them

IMNSHO it's partly a complete lack of enforcement plus your "monkey see monkey do" observation. When the idiots hired to enforce the law are rolling or blowing through stop signs/red lights, not signalling, breaking the speed limit, etc., etc., etc., that sends a message of its own: it's really not that important.

 

[Chicken lights]

I'm not advocating for running red lights- but - I was taught in a large truck it's better to run the yellowish/slightly red light because hard braking might shift the load on the trailer, or it might put me stopped in the middle of the intersection and cause confusion

 

[slow-poke]

My father in law was one of the worst drivers I have ever encountered. I was in his car only once for a short trip and was aghast and never again would get in the car he was driving, he would constantly drift out of his lane, change lanes without signaling or looking. He had a lot of accidents and totalled countless cars. All this back when he was in his 50's. Fast forward to his 70's cop pulled him over gave him a dangerous driving ticket and initiated a mandatory drivers test. He wrote on the ticket he was a danger to himself and anyone on the road near him. My wife drove him to his driving test and we joked that he has 0% chance of passing. They passed him, we were simply incredulous.
Ran into the back of someone a week later. I simply don't understand how this is possible.

 

[jorogi]

Well I was going to keep my mouth shut on this one but
.....
Seems like dump truck drivers are to blame. Ride a day in one and you'll change your mind.

As someone who has been too close and personal to distracted driving results I think there should be a hefty bounty reward for anyone who drags a cell phone user out of their car and blows their brains out. ICBC claims distracted driving is as dangerous as impaired driving. So if this is true, and gun control laws prevent my bounty solution, why not impound the car for three months, tow fees, storage fees and a hefty fine and maybe people would wake up.

 

[JustaDB]

I'm not advocating for running red lights- but - I was taught in a large truck it's better to run the yellowish/slightly red light because hard braking might shift the load on the trailer, or it might put me stopped in the middle of the intersection and cause confusion

See it every so often & do it myself. No matter how tight the load is or how well it's strapped, there will be movement. Better to push the red than initiate a catastrophe. You're anywhere from about 45' to 120' feet long. Nobody is going to enter the intersection while you're already in it.

It's either that or drive 20 below the posted speed limit & then everybody behind you will be pissed off.

 

[JustaDB]

ICBC claims distracted driving is as dangerous as impaired driving.

I have a 20 minute highway drive to work. There's this chick in a blue Ford Focus that I pass on a regular basis who is reading her cell phone every day. LH holding the phone, RH on the wheel. Never stops surfing the whole time. There outta be a law...

 

[Downwindtracker2]

Studies have proven distracted driving is much worse than drunk driving. What really bugs me is the drivers on their cell phone and miss the light change. Traffic is bad enough without drivers parking in the middle of the road.