Humboldt tragedy
 

Maybe this is a failing of my personality but everyday I am observing all the deep sadness everywhere due to what happened to the hockey team in Humboldt in what is undeniably a road traffic accident whilst continuing to observe some of the most agressive tailgating and inconsiderate driving known to man as drivers all around me narrowly miss creating their own RTA tragedy... and I wonder, where is the corrolation between this sadness and the driving.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

I also see that .......... and wonder the same.

I also sometimes wonder how many of the drivers currently on the road have actually taken a driving test in Canada, or even seen a copy of the "rules of the road".

It isn't that long ago that there was a case here in BC where several/many (total number unknown) Chinese-language drivers obtained drivers licenses under false pretenses ............ someone else did it for them. Only 1 driving instructor was charged.


OH wanted to brush up on his knowledge about 15 years ago ........... he'd done a road test in the US many years before, and just had to have a very short in-office test here in BC. He was told that there were no generally available booklets on the rules of the road, only learner drivers were given them.

I'm still confused as to why British drivers can just exchange their licenses without doing a road test .............. granted some rules of the road are the same, but there are others which are not.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

In Ontario you can take the first test which is written only in 24 different languages yet road signs in Ontario are only ever in english or french.

https://drivetest.ca/tests/knowledge-tests.html

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

Road signs here are only in English .........

.......... or in First Nations language if going through a reserve


yet we have at least one city where over 50% of the population is from China, and another where it is closing in on over 40% is from India

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I think it's bizarre that some countries are allowed to just swap a licence. Whilst this out pouring of grief is commendable, it doesn't actually do anything, millions of dollars are being raised, people are being made to feel guilty for not donating but it will do nothing to educate the moronic, tailgating, impatient, rednecked, phone wielding, speeding imbeciles that we see on the roads on a daily basis.

The worst drivers are those that drive lifted trucks and trucks that have been chipped. I still don't understand why drink driving is also still socially acceptable by so many groups of rednecks.

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The assumption is that everyone needs a licence. I would ration the things

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I really don't understand the just swap licence thing. When we arrived in Aus, we had to take a multiple choice test to get our Aus licence. A few months later they changed the rules so you could just swap over. Just because we drive on the same side of the road in Britain and Aus does not mean we know and understand all of Australia's, or more to the point, Queensland's rules of the road. I don't even know the road rules of the other states! To go from Britain to Canada and all the changes that involves and not have to take a test is barking. :blink:

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

I'm not a driver so I'll plead ignorance.

But people go to Europe from the UK or even UK to the USA, hire a car and merrily drive on the wrong side of the road don't they? Without needing to pass a test.

If you can do it temporarily, why not permanently? Maybe in holiday mood it might actually be more dangerous than when you're actually adapting to new circumstances in a new country and driving is a part of all those changes? :unsure:

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Simply put nobody thinks they are a bad driver. Its always the others who are bad.

And some based on various comments on articles regarding the accident seem to blame only immigrants as the issue.

I am sure the poorly designed roads (in BC) anyhow and heavy congestion plays a factor in the larger citys.

Took over an hour yesterday to go 16km. That is insanity.

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I drove in freezing fog the other morning . Visibility was poor so I put my lights on and drove more slowly than usual. The majority of vehicles didn't have lights on and most were speeding, even overtaking.

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ok heres my look at things,,when we came to MB it is a straight swap for car(5) licence,and bike as well . Well I had to do a driving test for my class 1A and to be honest it was so easy compaired to the UK test (even back in 81) I'm surprised that most people don't hold one. After watching local kids doing there tests at 16 ,couple o left ,right a crosswalk and parralell park (in the village) have a nice day. and I'm told the test in the US is even easier.The problem SCOT47 is that out in the sticks its not a luxury its essential to find a job.,, I just wish the younger generation wouldn't drink n drive as its "bad" out this way..most weekends another accident or death due to DD. god help us when "dope" becomes legal.

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The amount of drivers who dont turn their lights on so the tail lights are on in poor weather is crazy.

I see dozens a day on the way home from work.

Weird thing is when I was in WA state I saw nobody without tail lights on in the rain and the few cars I did see without tail lights on had BC plates.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

Sometimes mistakes happen.

I once got into an unfamiliar rental vehicle at Vancouver airport and drove to Squamish in pitch black with only the day time running lights on. I presumed it had auto on/off headlights. Not one person flashed me to warn me.

Now every time I see a car driving at night with no rear lights on I think back to this and flash them with my high beams 10x or more. Sometimes I overtake them and turn my lights on/off so they get the message. They almost always thank me with a flash of their headlights.

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There are probably many people who jump into rental vehicles and do not spend even five minutes familiarizing themselves themselves with an unfamiliar vehicle. Perhaps rental companies should hang a card from the rear window mirror suggesting drivers take some time to understand the vehicle.

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I suppose it depends how slowly you were going. If it was less than the posted speed limit then you would doubtless have a queue of cars behind you dithering about overtaking. If I was on the way to work then, yes, I'd pass you all. 60 mph is the allowable speed where the road is posted 80 kph so I pass cars going more slowly than that (and I mean 60 on the cruise control, not 60 on the flat straight bits).

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

soooooooooo

you're the guy who pays no attention to the road conditions or the weather?

If the speed limit is 80 kph, you'll drive 60 kph even if the weather and road conditions are bloomin' terrible?

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

I will have my lights on and the windows clear, I am paying attention to the conditions. I even have winter tyres. I just won't dither.

Today, for example, there is an ice storm with accumulated ice pellets a couple of inches deep on the roads. I was able to sustain 60 for the ten miles or so to the grocery store. I passed someone on the way back, a pick up with a trailer that was going slowly, perhaps 40mph. I did so on a long straight stretch whereas, in better conditions, I would have passed sooner; the conditions dictated that I not accelerate violently and so I waited for the long straight. Safe and slow are not synonymous.

Do we know, btw, what the cause of the bus crash was? Maybe none of this is relevant.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

Then you would be a bit of a twit. It's an 80 kph road that I normally drive at 100kph and on that day I drove at 75 to 80 - which was just about ok for the conditions. It's in rolling hills so it's tricky to see what's pulling out onto the road and I didn't want to go too fast in case I rear ended a car with no rear lights. Oh and there was a farm tractor and trailer pootling along without lights.

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In fog, I am constantly concerned about running up the back of some unlit greige blob but that would be a concern at any speed. Recently there was one that was barely moving, collision was avoided only by fortuitous break in the mist.

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No, we do not know the cause.

The RCMP says it could take weeks for them to determine the cause.

It is hard to comprehend how 2 vehicles could meet, seemingly in the middle of an intersection on the Prairies where you can see for miles and miles, roads are straight, and the weather was apparently "good". I'm always amazed when we have driven there, and when we are on the train, just how far you can see ........ nothing in the way except windbreaks around farm buildings.

But, we don't know ................. and that is why I find some of the theorising on this thread more than a little disturbing.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

The coach had the right of way, the truck had a stop sign.
For whatever reason, the truck ran the stop sign and the coach t-boned the truck.
The front 5-6ft of that coach has been ripped off.
This crash happened with both vehicles travelling and colliding at a fair pace, otherwise that carnage would not have spread so far from the road.

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And braking/stopping times, dont drive faster than you can see to stop and don't overtake on blind hills. Risk your own life if you want to but not other people's.

I like speed, I like driving fast, but there's no opportunity for fun driving here so now I drive an automatic and rein in my thoughts of rally driving.

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Intersections on long straight roads are a problem when the main road vehicles are at a fair speed and the drivers bored/inattentive with the long straight road. Stop signs just aren't enough. Highway 28 north of Port Hope has an intersection with lights and before the lights there are additional flashing lights warning you that you need to prepare to stop.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

I've lived in Canada for a little less than five years. In that time this has happened twice to me personally. What is going on?

The first time I was forced to squeal around a truck who'd fortunately slowed a little when he saw me and I narrowly avoided the car-in-a-ditch problem. Fortunately there was nothing coming the other way.

I now approach junctions where I see cars approaching with some anticipation.

The second happened a few weeks ago. A woman in a car simply didn't stop and crossed in front of me . Simply staring ahead and just didn't stop at the stop sign. I was forced to brake and shake my head. I just knew it was going to happen.

A smallish crossover can, with luck, cope with issues like this. I wouldn't have been able to avoid these potential collisions in a coach.

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I just assume when approaching an intersection that the other car/s are not going to stop and slow a bit, I don't trust other drivers, and since going to a scooter I really don't trust other drivers who seem intent on killing anyone on 2 wheels.

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I've often thought that you need to have ridden a motor cycle in order to appreciate road dangers and learn to anticipate other driver's reactions and understand road conditions. I stopped riding motor cycles more than 20 years ago but the lessons learned have served me well.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

It has certainly opened up my eyes.

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I agree whole heartedly with this.

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The stop sign had a flashing red light above it ...... the flashing light added about 20 years ago when 6 people were killed in a similar accident.

I read where they are thinking of adding rumble strips before the intersection to warn there is a stop sign ahead.

But there is also this problem of the trees along part of the minor road that could have blocked sight lines for both drivers.

I heard the young man who has the broken back interviewed on CBC radio on Friday. He said he heard the coach driver shout "Whoa", try to stop, and then everything went black for him until he woke to find himself on the road having been thrown out of the coach. From that, it sounded as if the coach driver had little warning.


Should these hockey coaches have seat belts??????????

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

I disagree that there's no opportunity. There are rolling hills and roads with bends, they're not usual, England's better, but you can find them. I think the American maxim "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow" applies. In the Healey 70 mph feels rocket fast, in the Mustang 100mph doesn't. One has to bear in mind that the Healey has drum brakes, more go than woah as they say. The key thing is that 70mph is a small fine, 100mph is a much bigger hassle.

Driving today wasn't fun. Ice build up on the wheels gave the car the shakes so I stuck to 80 in an 80. You know how, when there are bands of snow across the road, the car rises and falls like a sailing boat? We had that today but it wasn't snow, it was ice pellet drifts. I would welcome a move to a temperate climate, going where the weather suits my cars, almost like Nilsson.

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You're probably right about the slow car thing after all it's the sensation not the numbers that count!

I haven't driven today as I couldn't be arsed to chip the ice from the car. Walking the dog was challenging especially as he pooped on a slope and I could only reach one of the nuggets. Thankfully the wind blew the others away.

It's a flying poop kind of day.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

Yes, me too. I go through a junction often where there are stop signs on the other road but vehicles routinely don't slow down.

Similarly, I never assume that a vehicle that is not indicating will go straight on, I try to work out which way is likely from the position of the car but right turns from the left lane are very common. Indicating, if any, here is always too late to be useful; if the light was red and the car is going left, the indicator comes on when the light goes green. Any Asian vehicular product will be in the target lane before the indicator expresses interest in going there. And then there is the left turn into the oncoming lane...

Can't there be some sort of scholarship scheme to send people who were born here and yet want to drive a car to Europe for a few years?

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

All poop bagged and filed without incident. We have a stockpile of poop for whenever the weather breaks and we can go to the dump, possibly a truck load.

Touch wood, the power has been on all weekend, I didn't expect that.

Re: Humboldt tragedy
 

I am so looking forward to the driving when we go to the UK and Europe next year. It seems so safe with the lack of drink driving and everyone being so attentive. It's pretty amazing that there are no bad drivers over there!

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Ha! Firstly, France must lead the world in drunk driving. I think drunk driving is routine in Ontario but that doesn't suggest people don't do it elsewhere; I was at a wine tasting in Australia from which everyone drove home. It's not something I get bothered about, when I see a car where the driver is obviously drunk, I wave and make toasting gestures.

Secondly, while you won't see the errors that are usual here; lane discipline is routine there and people do indicate, a different catalogue of issues arises. People are car aware in a way they're not here. People there use cars as status symbols while, in Canada, it's all greige minivans and no one knows which is better. Accordingly, people who operate BMWs drive as if they own not only the road but the car park.

Here one must expect any vehicle to be driven poorly, there one must know the brands.