Backing up? Safety is your responsibility

The crew from the School Bus Garage in Keremeos tell about a person driving a motor home that backed out of a driveway near a school bus that was dropping off children. The person didn’t appear to be paying attention and almost backed over one of them. The crew thought that a big yellow school bus displaying flashing lights should have been a clue for the driver to exercise more care.

This is a very important thought because the Motor Vehicle Act places all the responsibility on the driver moving in reverse. It says that the driver of a vehicle shall not cause the vehicle to move backwards into an intersection or over a crosswalk, and shall not in any event or at any place cause a vehicle to move backwards unless the movement can be made in safety.

Two specific offences are created in this section. The first is backing into an intersection and the second is backing over a crosswalk. Both of these imply that the movement is being made on a highway.

The final part of the section makes no mention of being on a highway. It simply says that in no circumstances will a driver travel in reverse unless that movement can be carried out in a safe manner.

If you are going to back up your vehicle and you cannot see well enough through the windows or by using mirrors like the motor home driver it would be wise to find someone to act as a flag person and help you. It is not convenient but it is safe, and that is what is required.

The author is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. To comment or learn more, please visit drivesmartbc.ca.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.