October is Drive Relative to Conditions month

By BC Highway Patrol

Speed limits are set for warm, dry, ideal driving conditions. As we move into ‘Drive Relative to Conditions’ month in October, BC Highway Patrol is reminding everyone about the legal definition of crosswalks and the requirement to adjust driving behaviour for sub-optimal weather.

“In bad weather or darkness, you are legally obligated to drive more carefully so you can get a speeding ticket even when you are driving below the posted speed limit,” says Superintendent Mike Coyle with BC Highway Patrol. “Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable in bad weather and darkness, and we want to avoid tragedy.”

The BC Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) has a specific offence for driving too quickly (even under the speed limit) in bad weather and darkness:

• Speed relative to conditions, with a fine of $196 under section 144(1)(c).

When it comes to pedestrian safety, many drivers do not know the legal, BC MVA definition of a crosswalk:

1. A portion of the roadway at an intersection or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by signs or by lines or other markings on the surface, or
2. The portion of a highway at an intersection that is included within the connection of the lateral lines of the sidewalks on the opposite sides of the highway,or within the extension of the lateral lines of the sidewalk on one side of the highway, measured from the curbs, or in the absence of curbs, from the edges of the roadway.

In other words, a crosswalk is not just painted signs or lines; a crosswalk extends from any sidewalk at one side of an intersection to the adjoining sidewalk on the other side of the roadway.

Motorists are also encouraged to make pedestrians safer by slowing down, avoiding distraction, and being completely focused on the road.

“Some people think it’s OK to check their phones while stopped at an intersection, but intersections are exactly where you need to be alert for other unpredictable drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and children,” says Superintendent Coyle.

“Pedestrians can help themselves by obeying crosswalk rules, wearing bright and reflective clothing, and avoiding the distraction of cell phones and ear buds.”

BC Highway Patrol photo

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