Earlier this week, motorists on Highway 97 had to put their knowledge of official emergency vehicle laws into practice. On the afternoon of December 6, in a two hour period 120 motorists encountered an official vehicle and found themselves receiving warnings for non compliance with the law. They were spared a $173.00 fine, but drove away better informed from the experience. Of note is that the 120 motorists who were stopped by police constituted approximately 25 per cent of the motorists who were observed contravening the legislation. There weren't enough police officers to stop every violator.
This legislation was intent on providing increased safety for emergency personnel and directs motorists to act safely and responsibly when encountering official personnel working on our highways. Every day, police, fire, ambulance and tow vehicle personnel find themselves thrust into emergency events and situations on our highways. These situations expose them and make them vulnerable to the hazards of moving vehicles that pass in very close proximity to their work environment.
The legislation stipulates that all motorists encountering a stopped official vehicle displaying flashing red, blue or amber lights, must:
slow to 70 km/h, on highways with a posted speed of 80 km/h or higher,
and slow to 40km/h on those highways posting speeds of less than 80 km/h
This applies to traffic traveling in both directions, with the exception being that the highway is a laned roadway (two or more lanes of travel in the same direction) or the highway is divided by a median. In conjunction with slowing down, if there are two lanes traveling in the same direction, when safe to do so, the motorist must move to a lane of travel furthest away from the stopped official vehicle, unless directed otherwise by a peace officer.
Official vehicles are:
Police Vehicles, Ambulance, Fire Service Vehicles, Tow Trucks, Vehicles used by Conservation Officers, Inspectors under the Inspectors Authorization Regulation, Passenger Transportation Inspectors, Park Rangers, Ministry of Forests and Range Special Constables.
This legislation was intent on providing increased safety for emergency personnel and directs motorists to act safely and responsibly when encountering official personnel working on our highways. Every day, police, fire, ambulance and tow vehicle personnel find themselves thrust into emergency events and situations on our highways. These situations expose them and make them vulnerable to the hazards of moving vehicles that pass in very close proximity to their work environment.
The legislation stipulates that all motorists encountering a stopped official vehicle displaying flashing red, blue or amber lights, must:
This applies to traffic traveling in both directions, with the exception being that the highway is a laned roadway (two or more lanes of travel in the same direction) or the highway is divided by a median. In conjunction with slowing down, if there are two lanes traveling in the same direction, when safe to do so, the motorist must move to a lane of travel furthest away from the stopped official vehicle, unless directed otherwise by a peace officer.
Official vehicles are:
Police Vehicles, Ambulance, Fire Service Vehicles, Tow Trucks, Vehicles used by Conservation Officers, Inspectors under the Inspectors Authorization Regulation, Passenger Transportation Inspectors, Park Rangers, Ministry of Forests and Range Special Constables.
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