
For my final column of 2024, I turned social media and asked people what they thought were important road safety issues to review.
Within a very short time, I had five suggestions to write about.
@MRTMCMLIII suggested the “orange options” on each corner of a vehicle that few know how to use. Everyone must signal their intentions before they complete a manoeuvre.
The Motor Vehicle Act mentions signalling in at least five sections:
151 - A driver must not drive from one lane to another without signalling their intention
169 - You must signal before moving a vehicle that is stopped, standing or parked
170 - If another driver might be affected by your turn, you must signal far enough in advance to warn traffic
171 - How to signal a turn
172 - How to signal if your vehicle is left hand drive
Despite section 170, I would suggest that a careful driver always signals each time they turn or change lanes, even if they think that they are the only vehicle on the road. In the worst case, you will telegraph a pending mistake to others before you make it!
@kevinsgonriding wondered why car manufacturers are allowed to make rear signal lights red. The simple answer is because our federal rules permit it. Apparently this is only the case in the U.S. and Canada though. It's a good point to make, as it appears yellow signal lamps on the rear reduce crashes.
@OrcaBC101 said another reminder about sharing roads with big commercial vehicles wouldn't hurt.
Don't cut in front of them or you might find their grill in your back seat, or worse.
There is a lot of information on the “no zones,” places around a heavy commercial vehicle where you are essentially invisible to the truck’s driver.
Couple that with the fact a fully loaded heavy commercial vehicle, with properly functioning brakes, could have twice the stopping distance of your car and you can imagine how foolish it is to get in front of one and then brake suddenly.
@shoppingblonde said remember to slow down as people walking have the right away.
Yes, above all, a driver has the duty to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian on a highway.
Pedestrians don't always have the right of way though. They must not leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close it is not practical for the driver to yield the right of way.
@andydunstan probably had the best road safety suggestion of all—start the New Year like driving matters, that the rules of the road are there for a reason, that traffic signals should be obeyed, lane discipline adhered to and the focus is on doing what is right, not what is right for you.
I can't add to that.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.