WebStamp October 03, 2018
A Snowfall Driving Disorder
The beginning of October brought us an expected record-breaking snowfall that caused major traffic mayhem all over Calgary. The previous October 2nd snowfall record of a moderate 4.6 cm was broken with a whopping 38.9 cm in some areas. It even surpassed the all-time October record of 29.7 cm which happened over 100 years ago on October 4, 1914. The resulting 250 + accidents that occurred reveal that many drivers are not trained properly to navigate extreme Canadian weather.
An AB Gov. Truck with unsecured snow load
and the license plate covered.
In the Modernized Traffic Acts Needed article in WebStamp, we talk about the need of changing the Traffic Act making it compulsory for drivers to take training before getting a driver’s license. This training should definitely include negotiating emergency winter driving situations so drivers can handle unexpected situations avoiding incidents. Drivers need more than reading the rules, writing a test, and taking a driving test to properly operate a vehicle, especially driving larger vehicles like trucks or motorhomes.
With winter driving many drivers are not preparing and adjusting to the changed road conditions. Even though most drivers remove the snow from their vehicles, there are many that don’t. I saw many vehicles with over a foot of snow on top of their vehicles. This could be classified as an unsecured load and could result in a traffic fine. If snow or ice falls off your vehicle and causes an accident involving the vehicles behind you, it may result in you being responsible and charged for that accident.
Then we have the drivers that drive as if it were summer. They don’t leave enough distance between vehicles when travelling and even with stopping at intersections.
When roads are icy you need more distance to stop. Leaving more space between cars when stopped at a traffic light could prevent you from being in a 3 + car collision when someone bumps you from behind. Having more space when stopped allows for one to attempt to move on ice without waiting for the car in front doing the same.
Addressing those inexperienced drivers that drive too cautiously and too slow afraid of not being able to handle a little slippage we encourage them to take winter driving lessons. We end up having very slow drivers holding back traffic. The worst ones are those that drive in the left lane, referred to as the passing lane, driving slowly side-by-side with another slow overcautious driver and blocking both lanes. Drivers should have the proper training to properly operate a dangerous piece of machinery, especially in poor road conditions.
Even though there are no requirements to take driver training to get your license, or you already have your driver's license, you should make sure to get the training for and practice the maneuvers that you have issues with when driving. The roads would be much safer if all drivers drove properly and efficiently following the rules of the road with confidence. We could avoid many of the road mishaps with properly trained drivers. Join the M.A.D. Movement and Make A Difference with Calgary’s traffic. Become an experienced driver.
Watch the video that shows how ice
falling off a vehicle can be dangerous
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