Helloooooo, people….hang up the phones!
I’m astounded at the number of people talking on their cell phones and driving at the same time since the new law came into effect on January 1, 2010. So, in case you missed it, here it is – it’s a bit boring so skim if you must, but please, at least read my last two sentences:
Prohibition against use of electronic device while driving
214.2 (1) A person must not use an electronic device while driving or operating a motor vehicle on a highway.
(2) Without limiting subsection (1), a person must not communicate by means of an electronic device with another person or another device by electronic mail or other text-based message.
Use of Electronic Devices while Driving
“electronic device” means
(a) a hand-held cellular telephone or another hand-held electronic device that includes a telephone function,
(b) a hand-held electronic device that is capable of transmitting or receiving electronic mail or other text-based messages, or
(c) a prescribed class or type of electronic device;
“use”, in relation to an electronic device, means one or more of the following actions:
(a) holding the device in a position in which it may be used;
(b) operating one or more of the device’s functions;
(c) communicating orally by means of the device with another person or another device;
(d) taking another action that is set out in the regulations by means of, with or in relation to an electronic device.
$167.00 and three points on your drivers licence, or $20-$100 for a hands free device to use with your phone.
It’s your choice.
If you look around Vancouver you will quickly see we are a city trying to attain a green life style by introducing more bicycle lanes, high density neighborhoods and pedestrian-friendly walkways. These are considered improvements by most and inconveniences by some.
I, for one, prefer living in an area where the single family homes do not crouch over one another with touching roof lines but instead sit on decent size lots with private backyards. Living in an area where it is still possible to walk or bike to the grocery store is considered a bonus and is the reason I live in one of Vancouver’s suburbs. That, and the price of homes in Vancouver is a wee bit steep.
I walk as often as a I can and one thing is for certain – life is different as a pedestrian. Not only do you have to watch out for other pedestrians and human-powered modes of transportation such as bicycles, roller blades and scooters, you have to really pay attention when it’s time to cross the street.
As most of you know, a vehicle shall yield to a pedestrian waiting to cross the street at a crosswalk. Sometimes vehicles stop, but in my experience, most vehicles do not. I’ve been stranded on the center median of a crosswalk waiting to get to the other side with PSD Hondo while tracking a fleeing suspect, and it gets very frustrating when drivers pretend not to see you perched on your precarious island. But does that mean I step out into the road and take my chances? Uh-huh, no way, not going to happen. I’ve seen the end result when a pedestrian and a motor vehicle meet at speed. Almost always, the ped loses. Waiting for a break in traffic is usually safer.
Lately, I’ve seen pedestrians move in ways that put them at considerable risk:
- jaywalking on a dark night in the heavy rain while wearing dark clothing
- stopping for no reason while crossing the road
- starting across at a crosswalk when it is not safe to do so
- not making eye contact with drivers
- running across the street at the last minute
- not shoulder checking before stepping into a crosswalk to ensure a vehicle isn’t turning (this happens ALL THE TIME and is one of my biggest pet peeves)
All of the above can have fatal consequences. Even today, on my way home from work, I saw a woman crossing a major street in a marked crosswalk. She was fiddling with her MP3 player, her attention drawn to the device in her hand and not to her surroundings. She was pulling a child’s wagon behind her full of groceries, not kids – thank goodness for small miracles. When she made it to the other side, she did not scoot the wagon up the wheelchair ramp to the safety of the sidewalk. Instead, she stood about four feet off the curb out in the road, her wagon alongside her in the blind spot for a driver turning at the corner. The entire time she kept her attention focused on her music. Not only was she a good target for an inattentive driver, she was an excellent potential victim for a mugging.
The light eventually changed and she continued on her way, completely oblivious to what was going on around her.
Now here’s the thing – I’m not coming down on pedestrians. There are a lot of very heads-up, traffic savvy walkers out there. It’s just that I wish more people would pay attention, because even if you have the right of way as a ped, you only stand to get hurt if you get struck by a car. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is – you lose in the end.
“Fail to Yield for Emergency Vehicle” – BC Motor Vehicle Act, Section 177, 3 driver penalty points, $109.00 fine.
One of the primary complaints of anyone who drives an emergency vehicle for a living is when other drivers fail to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle driving Code Three (lights and sirens).
For the most part, I find the citizens of Vancouver are alert and know what to do when a police car, ambulance or fire truck in full Code Three mode comes up behind them – the citizens pull over to the closet side of the road giving the emergency vehicle plenty of room to get by. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! You do not know how much we appreciate it when you do this!
But then there are times when a citizen gets the ‘deer in the headlights’ look and freezes. In times like these, no amount of frantic waving or sirens on the part of the officer is going to get the person to move. I know. It happens to me. At least once every time I drive Code Three, which happens at least once a shift. You do the math. But I digress…
Once, while driving in a marked police car, I heard an ambulance coming up behind me. Their lights were flashing and their siren was wailing as they drove to an urgent medical call. So I did as you are supposed to do – I pulled over to the side of the road (yes, even police cars do this in respect for other emergency vehicles if not also responding to an emergent call). There were other vehicles on the road at the time, and they too pulled over.
Then there was this one driver travelling in the same direction as the ambulance. He kept on driving, effectively blocking the ambulance. The ambulance couldn’t go around him as the guy was straddling two lanes and the ambulance was hemmed in by a cement median. As the two vehicles passed me, the driver of the car started to slow down and then rolled through the next intersection, still without stopping. As it turned out, this was the intersection where the ambulance was trying to turn at, and there was a near-miss collision between the two vehicles. Imagine my surprise when the civilian honked his horn and proceeded to pop his middle finger up at the ambulance.
When the ambulance completed its turn and continued on to whatever call it was going to, I pulled in behind the driver of the car and initated my own emergency equipment. If you guessed that the guy failed to stop for me as well, then you guessed correctly. He wasn’t driving all that fast, but he finally got the hint when I pulled up beside him and pointed at the side of the road.
The driver was less than cordial when I approached his car, and he was most upset when I explained why I had pulled him over. Well, ‘most upset’ is a bit of an understatement. He was furious. Even after I explained that he was bound by law to yield to an emergency vehicle by pulling over to the side of the road and stopping, he screamed at me that he had ’slowed down’, that slowing down was all he was prepared to do, and it wasn’t his fault if the ambulance driver didn’t know how to drive.
He was none too pleased about the violation ticket I issued him for the offence, and kicked up a fuss, swearing and yelling that he was going to have my job and that he would see me in court. I let him vent, and he eventually calmed down enough to drive away.
The fellow never did dispute the ticket, though. He paid the fine and the points were added to his licence. Too bad. I would have loved to have heard his version of events in the courtroom.
