Avoid Common Longboarding Accidents and Injuries in Vancouver

Posted on by David Goldberg Posted in Personal Injury, Rules of the Road, Brain Injury

Longboarding is one of the hottest ways to get around these days. Calgarian longboarder Brandon Harrison has contributed in popularizing the new sport with his reported cross Canada trek on his longboard to raise awareness and money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation.

While this sport’s growing popularity is a fun way to stay active and is helping Canadians raise money for good causes, the health, safety and legal aspects of longboarding should be taken into consideration before taking part. This blogpost will explain what longboarding is and will outline some of the risks associated with the sport. We will also discuss how B.C. courts have dealt with motor vehicle accidents involving longboards or similar devices in the past.

 What is Longboarding?

Longboarding is often grouped in with other forms of skateboarding, though it has some distinct characteristics. Some of these characteristics … Continue reading

Right Turns and Cyclists: Who Has the Right of Way in Surrey?

Posted on by David Goldberg Posted in Bicycle Accidents, Who's at Fault?Tagged ,

When the weather improves we will see more bicycles on the roadways. As the days get warmer and longer, cycling is an efficient, environmentally friendly and healthy alternative to the regular commute.

Vancouver and Surrey BC lawyers hear of many cycling accidents each year. For both cyclists and drivers, sharing the road can be challenging when the lanes are narrow and a cyclist is moving at a slower speed than the automotive traffic. Many drivers are often confused and caught off-guard when a bike appears in the side mirror. Who has the right of way when a cyclist proceeds straight through an intersection while a driver attempts to turn right?

Safety is the Primary Concern

Safety must always be the primary concern by both the car driver and the cyclist. Traffic is often stop-and-go in larger cities and in many situations cyclists will often approach or pass from behind cars … Continue reading

Distracted Driving in Vancouver B.C.

Posted on by Brian Jacobson Posted in Car AccidentTagged

In British Columbia, distracted driving is the second leading cause of car accident fatalities and the cause of one-quarter of all crashes. Driver distraction entails attention being diverted from driving tasks. This can result in significant costs to society, such as: tragic loss of life, serious injuries, health expenses, property damage and insurance rates.

Activities that can impact your ability to focus on the road come in a wide range of forms, from visual distractions inside and outside the vehicle, to cognitive distractions when using electronic devices. ICBC research on distracted driving indicates that drivers fail to process approximately 50 percent of the visual information in their driving environment when they are using electronic communication devices.

While texting on a communications device is often recognized as one of the most common distractions behind the wheel and the riskiest behaviour, distractions like seeking preferred music or personal grooming can significantly divert … Continue reading

Cross Walks: Is the Right of Way Absolute in B.C.?

Posted on by Ben Tarnow Posted in Rules of the RoadTagged

Many pedestrians, at their peril, believe that they have an absolute right of way when they seek to cross a roadway in a marked or unmarked crosswalk. However, while a duty of care is owed by drivers to pedestrians, pedestrians are also obligated to exercise due care for their own safety and the safety of others. If you fail to observe due care for your own safety and the safety of others as a pedestrian or as a driver, you could be found to have some responsibility for the collision or injuries that result.

Responsibilities of Drivers and Pedestrians

S.181 of the BC Motor Vehicle Act governs the rights of way between a vehicle and pedestrian, and s.179 sets out the responsibilities when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk. Although the driver is required to yield the right of way, the law states that a pedestrian must not step into … Continue reading

Increasing Pedestrian Safety in Vancouver

Posted on by Graham Taylor Posted in Rules of the RoadTagged ,

Summer is coming to an end, but for those with children this can be an exciting time as students head back to school this September. For B.C. drivers, this means we are sharing the road with more pedestrians, as many more children are out and about walking to and from school.

According to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), on average 290 children aged five to eighteen are injured in motor vehicle collisions every year and 5 children are killed in such accidents. This is despite several measures taken to increase pedestrian saftey (including higher tickets for speeding in school zones) and information made available on high pedestrian collision intersections. Additionally, ICBC provides free road safety materials to B.C. schools to increase pedestrian safety.

Pedestrians that take precautions to keep safe still face some risk of becoming injured in a motor vehicle accident. To improve pedestrian safety in … Continue reading