Welcome to Colleen’s Corner. This is a column meant for fun and some information About myself: I am a Freelance Photographer you often see me on the side of the road or in various places taking photos of different things animals, birds, places, people etc. l have lived in Lumby for over 8 years, you have seen my photos in the newspaper (Lumby Valley Times) and once in awhile in the Vernon Morning Star, and the Lumby Art Gallery. Photography is my passion. Disclaimer: The information on some of my photos that I write about a lot of times come from the Internet or books I research them, hopefully the facts are as close to the truth as I can come.
By Colleen Fielding
The last long weekend before school has ended. The kids go back to school this week. When the kids go back to school things change including the speed zones. 30 km/h is the maximum speed that you can travel in your vehicle when going through the school zones, or playground areas.
According to the ICBC website under section 147, the amount could be anywhere from $196- $253 plus 3 points against your driver’s licence.
It’s not as high as texting on your phone which I think it should be, as you are still taking lives in your hands when speeding through a school or playground zone.
Excessive speed is $368-$453 and 3 points
Using your phone or any other electronic device while driving $368.00 and 4 points.
Then of course there are the tailgaters, this is placed under the law of “Careless Driving” with fines starting at $100.00 and up.
It’s bad enough being tailgated on the highway, but really think about tailgating someone in a school or playground zone. The people ahead of you can see what’s happening in front of them before you do, and they don’t want to hit that kid that runs out onto the road trying to get their ball. When you are tailgating someone especially in a school or playground zone you might make them anxious and put pressure on them with your aggressive move, it could be very dangerous for them, the kids and you. As tailgating can increase the risk of having a crash. Rear end collisions are up on the top of the list from ICBC and tailgating is the most common reason for these types of crashes. Last year there were more than 57,000 rear end crashes according to ICBC.
Then there is the school bus. I live in a rural area where I see the school bus stopped all the time to let the kids on or off the bus.
The school bus will have a red flashing warning light.
The stop sign that is placed out when the bus is stopped is not just a decoration. You must stop! It doesn’t matter what side of the road you are on. There are kids crossing the road trying to get to their own destinations.
Did you know if the red warning light is flashing and/ or the stop sign is out and you are on the opposite side or even the same side of the road than the bus and you don’t stop you could have a fine of $368.00.
If you don’t stop and you hit someone, well then I guess you better pullover then when you are stopped, phone your family and friends and say good-bye because now you are on the way to jail for a long time.
Let’s not forget about bad weather conditions, slow down, and stop tailgating someone who is slowing down. In BC you are actually required to slow down, without driving the posted speed limit in poor weather like heavy rain, snow, fog, slippery roads, etc. This helps you to have control safely, and have time to stop if needed. The posted speed limits that you see on the signs are for driving in good road conditions not for use on bad road conditions. If you are driving too fast for the road conditions, there could be a ticket with your name on it waiting for you.
Try avoiding braking suddenly, changing lanes too quickly, or making turns that could be harsh. Make sure you don’t have your cruise control on in bad weather this could make your car go into a spin, and make matters worse.
Have your low beams on in bad weather they will help you see better than your high beams.
In very freezing weather if you must drive in it make sure you have a full tank of gas so your gasoline doesn’t freeze up.
Just in case you get stuck in the snow you should carry kitty litter even if you don’t have a cat, old carpeting, salt, or sand for traction. Clear away as much of the snow around your tires that you can to help the tires move more freely, use what you have for the traction before the front wheels, then rock your vehicle back and forth slowly forward and increase the distance with each rocking.
Things you can’t see right away on the road can be very scary “Black Ice” If you hit this the car might skid, whatever you do, do not Brake. Instead, take your foot off the gas slowly and smoothly steer the car into the direction you want to go into, you may have to do this more than once.
If it’s raining heavily, or there is a lot of standing water on the road, don’t speed this could cause you to Hydroplane. This is a very scary thing that could happen. If you hydroplane , you could lose your control of the steering wheel. Don’t Brake, take your foot off the gas and drive in a straight way.
Let’s have a road sense this year, slow down where we are supposed to, obey the road signs, if there is bad road conditions or weather, slow down. Stop tailgating people no matter what the road conditions are, or especially in the school or playground zones. Remember their accidents could be yours as well.
