Behind the Wheel - June 9, 2004

[skidmark]

Why Do We Have Traffic Rules?

I have just returned from a visit to Montreal, and driving behaviour that I saw there gave me a lot to think about. No one came to a full stop at a stop sign unless it was to avoid a collision with traffic already there. If you did stop and did not immediately proceed, the driver behind you honked the horn. Lines on the road appeared to mean very little to any driver. To me, it appeared to be chaos.

Each morning the newspaper carried articles on fatal collisions that had occurred in the past 24 hours. I began to wonder, are traffic rules only important in determining the "winner" after a collision? In our haste to get from place to place in our busy lives, is it worth placing ourselves and others in jeopardy just to save a minute or two?

I have spent the better part of my service with the R.C.M.P. in traffic law enforcement. When I attend a collision today, I feel like I have failed the motoring public. My job is to prevent these incidents from occurring. Am I taking the job too seriously?

Aside from the educational efforts I make to have drivers know and follow the rules, the only other tool I have is the traffic ticket. I often say, tongue in cheek, arrest and fight someone, send them to court and see the judge give them jail time and it's not a problem. However, if I write someone a traffic ticket it's like I called their mother a bad name!

The traffic rules are there for all of us, police included. When you choose to disobey them, you are choosing to put others at risk without their permission. Police enforce the traffic rules, not out of spite, but out of a genuine desire to try and make our highways safe for everyone.

[Lone Ranger]

Yeah, I know what you're saying there about driving on the East Coast. I just completed two Toronto trips and a South Florida trip driving long haul over the last few weeks, and boy was that an eye-opener over there!!! I though Seattle and Vancouver were nuts! It's tame over here compared, I'm not lying.

I honestly don't know how you do your job Tim. I live around those drivers day in and day out, constantly being cut off and even run off onto the ditch more than a few times so I don't kill the prick who just caused the issue in the first place. It must be stressful as hell sometimes.

I got some sweeeeeet revenge finally a while back in East Montana (well, a State Trooper did it for me :p ). A family in a Ford Explorer was passing, and during the pass the kids and front passenger were waving and motioning for me to toot the airhorn, which I did, which promptly after that the driver turned on the right turn signal and pulled straight into my lane. The only problem was my front bumper was lined up straight beside the "B" pillar of the car!!!! The driver was pulling straight into the front of my rig! Holy cow did I swear a lot and applied the brakes and pulled over onto th shoulder, to which brought my buddy who was running team with me hauling out of the sleeper to see what was going on... Thank God they didn't hit me, and just as I was half way through the ordeal and wondering where a cop was when I really needed 'em, guess who whips out from behind my trailer and throws on the sirens!!! He pulled the car over while I kept going and we waved and tooted the horn in appreciation.... I just kept thinking of the kids in the back and the fact that if they would have hit me that woulda been it for them almost certainly, and it wasn't even their fault... In short, PLEASE use a friggin' brain while driving!! Thnx

[skidmark]

I don't know if you have ever visited Dan's site at http://www.semicam.ca but he has some great shots of boneheaded 4 wheeler stunts. I have a copy of his tape and use it before my public presentations. The audience usually can't believe what goes on. Their eyes get even bigger when I explain that a loaded truck has 50 to 60% of the stopping capacity of a 4 wheeler. In other words, give the truck lots of room or even the best driver in the world may have to squish you like a bug!

Some days the job is stressful and some days you just sit back and laugh. (It's either that or go crazy.)

My next article for Pro Trucker magazine is on the hazards of encountering police vehicles at the roadside. It was requested by a reader after last week's crash in the lower mainland. I've had some conversation with one of the investigators and the unmarked police vehicle was between .5 and .75 m to the right of the solid white line on the shoulder when it was hit.

[Lone Ranger]

The only problem with all that though (stopping time) is that even if I honestly can't stop and haven't been tailgating, I'm still at fault automatically.

I recently had a "run in" with a lady in Seattle who whipped in front of me just as traffic was about to come to a near stop. I was already backing out of it doing 55 mph (in a 60 zone) and had my foot over the brake. Sure enough, everyone slowed down to look at the car broken down on the shoulder (in typical Seattle style), now forcing me into a serious braking situation to avoid hitting her. Unfortunately, being fully loaded I was unable to stop and tagged the rearend of her Honda Odyssee. Thank God no one was hurt and her vehicle wasn't majorly damaged and we were both able to pull over to the shoulder safely. After the officer showed up and figured out what happened, he asked me how long she had been in my lane. I told him maybe 5 or 10 seconds (I wasn't counting, but it wasn't long at all). He told me he needed a definate time, to which I naively answered maybe 10. Because he established from that she'd been in the lane for 10 seconds, I was now pinned at fault for the accident, resulting in a US$153 fine for undo care and attention.

People have no idea that our legal stopping distance when loaded is nearly 1000', where as a car is roughly 150' (at 60 mph in perfect conditions). That's a serious difference. I have a million what-ifs including what if I was going slower or anything, it's still on my record. She gets a new hatch and bumper. I'm out a lot of money. Sh*t happens, I guess. That's even what the officer said too... At least he wasn't shy to show off his M16M4 though ;)

Yeah, I've heard about Dan for some time now.. I think he works for Vedder Transport or Can-Am, doesn't he? It ain't just local guys, we get it all over, it even gets crazier on the open highways too. Guys passing at triple digit speeds and barely making it back in before hitting an on coming car. I see that so frequently that it hardly worries me anymore. Pure insanity out there! People just don't care anymore I guess.

[Goof]

It scares me to drive in Coquitlam (around the mall) when it's busy. People there are INSANE. I've driven all over down town, across the continents, and for some reason...Coquitlam is the worst out of everywhere.

[muddhunter]

Locoally, Langley is pretty bad too, but its a cakewalk compared to Seattle, i haven't been to the east coast yet, but I've also heard its real crazy out there.

[skidmark]

I know your frustration. I see what goes on and then take heat for dealing with it.

I was busy having an office day this week to catch up on my return from holidays. I wrote one ticket that day, to a lady for passing on the right off roadway. She essentially told me at the roadside that she had done nothing unsafe and at most deserved a warning. Once she realized that I was not withdrawing the ticket, she drove straight to the office to make a complaint about me. One more stupid ticket dispute coming up in traffic court.

At least she didn't complain that I smiled when I handed her the ticket. :rolleyes:

[abbytoy]

i can totaly identify. just on friday some moron with an EMPTY "bombcart" style trailer blew thru a yeid at the bottem of Nordel causing me to dynamite my brakes. too bad the commercial insectors wernt on the other side of the road were they usualy sit. my truck was almost empty so i didnt damage any cargo. just crazy, he slowed down to stop then at the last minute punched the throttle. im glad im getting out of deliverys.

[Lone Ranger]

Muddhunter, if you can get a run down through St. Louis, MO or any other big city in that area. Seriously, they make Seattle look tame! I haven't done NYC, Chicago, or Detriot yet (was supposed to drive through Detroit but got turned back at the border due to improper FDA paperwork), but they're supposed to be just as bad. Even Florida was crazy too, nobody cares, they just cut everyone and anyone off just because they can. It can get to be total chaos!

I'm just glad I don't do town work very often, I couldn't take the stress! I get all burnt out doing it for one day if traffic's bad. Some guys just say you get used to it but for some reason I just can't, I wasn't meant for high stress situations at all. I'm just WAY too laid back. Hell, I start getting stressed if my coffee's all gone :clown

[HiThere]

I lived on the East coast of USA for a number of years. The crazy drivers there are not nearly as frustrating as insane traffic jams. After spending 30-40 minutes going 5-10 kmh, you'd be putting the pedal to the metal too. Those people spend 2-3 hours a day commuting. A lifestyle like that...nah, BC is the best!

[MrK]

The other day I was driving along on a fairly long straight strech of road that has another road joining it perpendicularly. As I was coming along I saw an grey s10 type of deal pull up to turn left across my lane. As I neared he kinda crept slowly out which made me kinda weary, but I just figured he was getting ready to pull out after I passed... nope. Just as i near he jumps out in front of me and I don't know if anyone of you has done a tire squealing panic break in a samurai at goin' 70-80, but it's not fun. I can only imagine how truckers must feel. :(