Distracted driving

We have all been there at one time or another, dealing with a distracted driver on a cellphone, texting, eating, screaming at their kids in the back seat.  Since I started moto commuting two years ago I have had several close calls due to this type of behaviour. You have seen my rants on a few occasions.  In 2010 BC passed a law about distracted driving & electronic devices.  In the Province of Bristish Columbia it is the 3rd leading cause of death, according to ICBC stats.  In BC on average 94 people a year die resulting from MVI involving distracted drivers.  $10 billion dollars is lost annually in Canada due to distracted drivers involved in a collision in healthcare costs and lost productivity, that equals 1% of our GDP.

In 2009 the BC Provincial Government did a traffic study on this subject and one of the stunning things they found out is that a driver with an electronic device in their car fails to process 50% of the visual information in their driving environment.  That is a scary finding.  It takes a split second of inattention when driving for things to go very wrong in a hurry.  Driving is one of the most complicated things we do and requires full cognitive attention to process all of the things coming at us at any one given time when we are in control of a vehicle.  You generally have mere seconds to make decisions about evasive manoeuvres or corrections when driving.

Distracted driving isn't just about electronic devices being used in the car, it's also about the drivers who eat & drink, are fatigued, dealing with kids and pets in the car environment, personal grooming such as applying make-up or shaving (I've seen both), reaching for objects, reading and other mundane tasks of daily living that we take into our cars.

Last month police in BC issued 5,514 violations for distracted driving and the number of violations is up from 2012, police issued 4,000 last year.  Young drivers between 16 and 24 are the highest risk group for distracted driving due to technology i.e. cellphones because they are more likely to use the cellphones with texting and messaging.  The fatality rate in this age group is approximately double to that of other drivers.  This makes this age group particularly vulnerable and as parents we need to bring this message home to our kids to #Drop It And Drive.

Tomorrow I along with two other road safety advocates will be on Cfax 1070 AM discussing distracted driving.

http://www.cfax1070.com/getmedia/552cea88-d4ce-4729-88ae-2e0fb490d493/mar-7-frank-1.aspx?width=300&height=45&ext=.mp3

Rider's For Safety 2012

 2nd Annual Rider's For Safety riding event. 

When: Sunday, May 6th, 2012

Where:  Savage Cycles Parking lot

(2956 West Shore Parkway  Victoria, BC)

Time:  12:15pm

Route:  The Malahat Highway to Mill Bay area and returning to Savage Cycles.

We will be returning to Savage Cycles and there will be a moment of silence to remember those who have lost their lives on this road.  Please show your support by attending.  

 Riders For Safety 2011, Malahat Fire Chief Robert Patterson and Dave Rogers VISC instructor, this was taken during the moment of silence to remember all those who died on the Malahat.

Rider's for Safety was formed in November 2011 to advocate  for a safer and better Malahat Highway for all road users.  We tragically lost several motorcyclists as the result of head on motor vehicle accidents when oncoming cars crossed the centre line.  Approximately 300 Motorcyclists attended the ride to show respect and support our call to the Government for action.  Riders For Safety and other Malahat stakeholders successfully lobbied the Provincial Government to make safety changes for the Trans Canada #1 Malahat highway.  A traffic study was done and a number of safety recommendations have been made and many will be implemented in the coming months. 

This year Riders for Safety is focussing on SAFE riding practices and our group advocates for motorcycle safety, awareness and training. We are asking the public not  to judge us all by the actions of one careless/reckless individual. As a community we do not condone the actions of those who drive recklessly and without care for others who share the roadway. 


Please wear appropriate riding gear.  You are responsible for your own safety and liability.  You must be able to maintain highway speed on your bike.

Most Riders wore a caution sign with a picture of their loved ones, friends and families to show other road users who we have to come home safely to, this was mine.

2011 Rider's For Safety - A Call for Concrete Barriers on TCH/MALAHAT

Malahat Fire Chief Robert Patterson with Riding Community Members during the moment of silence to commemorate ALL persons who have died on the TCH/Malahat.

Saturday, November 5th, 2011, Motorcyclists from across Victoria's Capital Region gathered at Ogden Point for the 2011 Rider's For Safety event.  Approximately 300 riders came together to ride to the Victoria Legislature to hold a remembrance vigil, one week to the day and hour of the latest crash on the TCH/Malahat.  Last Saturday a motorcyclist was killed at 3:45pm near the Shawnigan Lake Turn-off.   If concrete dividers had been in place it may have changed the outcome of the accident for the motorcyclist.  The purpose of the Rider's For Safety event is to raise road safety awareness on the TCH/Malahat and to commemorate ALL lives lost on this road; motorcyclist and vehicle driver.  This continues to be the RFS focus and will be until BC Government Officials choose to install concrete dividers and enhance safety on the highway. 

Vancouver Island is home to Trans Canada Number 1 Malahat Highway.  This is a gorgeous drive/ride, but also deadly when people become inattentive at the wheel engaging in things as mundane as, taking a sip of coffee, texting or using their cell phones, ipods, GPS units and other gadgets that are now routinely found in cars.  These devices are distractions to driver's and it is that fraction of a second that can and does change lives irrevocably, shattering the lives of other drivers and all too often motorcyclists.   Texting and handheld cellphone and device use is illegal in the Province of BC. Other accident factors such as speeding and driving while under the influence have played a factor in crashes in the past on the Malahat. 

Motorcyclists and scooterists are the most vulnerable of all highway users and more often than not when they are involved in a collision with a car the motorcyclist/scooterist is the clear loser in these accidents.  People who were otherwise productive citizens are no longer capable of reaching their potential due to debilitating traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and drastic decline in their pre-accident health status.  Some are lucky and are able to return to their pre-accident status as functioning individuals and others who are less fortunate require extensive rehab or care 24/7/365 for the rest of their lives.  These events alter the lives of everyone concerned; the victim, their families and the driver responsible for the accident.

The Trans Canada Malahat requires concrete barriers to be installed from Goldstream to Mill Bay.  The purpose of the concrete barriers is to keep cars in their lanes and stop them from crossing the centre line. Unfortunately this happens several times a year on the Malahat, often with deadly consequences or lives so shattered that human potential has been damaged beyond repair.  Malahat Fire Dept Chief Robert Patterson is a strong advocate for concrete barriers on the Malahat.  He and his fire fighters are the ones who are called away from their homes as first responders.  They are the ones who scrape people off the pavement, they are the ones who hold the hand of someone who is dying and they are the ones who live with the memory of what they have witnessed.  They are the ones who know that a concrete divider will make a difference in accident outcomes on the Malahat.  Just this one single act of installing concrete dividers will change the scope of accidents on the Malahat.  There still will be crashes, but at least drivers will not be crossing the centre line into on-coming traffic.  The cost of a barrier would be minimal compared to the human cost in tragedy and what the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia would pay out for medical expenses, i.e. rehab, disability and claim settlement.  Honestly why do we continue to let the carnage happen?  How many more people have to die?  We deserve to have safe highways, our fire fighters, paramedics and police officers deserve better, they should not have to witness the carnage knowing that it could have been different, because of the installation of a concrete median.  

I call on everyone in the driving community to do their part, drivers put down the cell phone, stop texting, stop diverting your attention from the road, keep both hands on the wheel.  Engage in road safety habits, don't speed, stop being an aggressive driver.  Motorcyclists/scooterists take motorcycle training courses, you will be a better and safer rider. Promise yourself you will be a better driver every time you get behind the wheel or on your bike and if you can't - don't drive.

The human price paid from motor vehicle accidents is just too high for this to continue and it is up to us to let politicians know we demand a safer Malahat highway.

I urge you to write a letter (not email) to the 

Provincial Minister of Transportation & Highways:  Honourable Blair Lekstrom, 

PO Box 9055 STN 
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT, 

VICTORIA, BC, V9W 9E2

**PLEASE SEND A COPY OF YOUR LETTER TO YOUR       MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (MLA). 

To find your MLA visit www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-7.htm

Vancouver Island Safety Council Motorcycle Safety Instructors 

Rider Kristy Falconer leading Chief Robert Patterson into Ogden Point 

Estimated 300 Riders from the Vancouver Island Motorcycling Community

Motorcyclists parked their bikes along the driveway of the Provincial Legislature -
*At the time this picture was taken all riders had not arrived, they continued to stretch the entire length of the driveway right to where you see the white bus parked curb side.  It was an awe inspiring sight to behold.
The ride was completed without incident and ALL riders followed road laws.

Many riders including myself wore Caution signs on the back
of our riding gear to show who we NEED to come home to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19NyvhrffcY

www.youtube.com
Wayne Williams shot this video of our event it shows how big the event was, note that as he walks with his camera he shows the motorcyclists coming up the driveway, they a wrapped around the side street still waiting to enter.  300!