School’s out, the family vacation road-trip planned, the faithful family hauler checked out, prepped and ready, and the weatherman’s predicting warm sunny climes; what could possibly go wrong? Nothing comes to mind, until you see the flashing red and blue lights of a traffic cruiser and its uniformed driver motioning you to pull over.
Fortunately for the overwhelming majority of us, a road-side chat with one of our finest seldom ends in tragedy or an unreasonable delay, but more often than not it will have a negative effect on our wallets but it does come with the bonus of an education on traffic enforcement. If you’re interested in a quick review of how to get pulled over (and how to avoid it) this upcoming holiday travel season, read on.
Read more: Got a traffic ticket away from home? Just pay up
Perhaps the first lesson to be learned is from nature. Think of drivers as prey and traffic enforcement as the predators and you’ll note that the best of wild-life survives by camouflage and adapting behaviours that let them blend in and not be noticed by upper members of the food chain.
This might be easier to do on home turf, but many of us will be venturing into unfamiliar territory this summer season.Add to this the departure from normal traffic enforcement habits by local and regional constabulary in response to heavy vacation traffic and you have the right recipe for a citation or two.
Don’t laugh off out-of-state traffic tickets because in today’s information age, someone will find out.
Supplied, Fotolia
Speeding remains the longstanding king of traffic tickets, and on holidays and long weekends you can throw all of your preconceptions about how much you can exceed the posted limit with impunity out the window. Even keeping pace with other vehicles on the road is no guarantee of a free ride as one or two officers are quite capable of pulling over a long line of scofflaws to write citations.
Drive according to posted limits and road conditions (remembering those maximums are for good weather, good road conditions, and good flowing traffic only). Speeding infractions also come with demerit points at certain amounts over the limit and in some jurisdictions you can even have your vehicle impounded, not to mention the effect on future auto insurance premiums. Your best weapon in this battle is time; allow for more of it when planning your trip.
Failing to stop at a stop sign or traffic light is number two and, even on lonely side streets and back roads, a “rolling stop” won’t do. If your vehicle didn’t settle back on its wheels after the stop, you didn’t stop. Don’t forget the effect a trailer will have on your stopping distance. Almost every community has a favourite spot for police to sit and watch for stop sign violators, so the more tempting an intersection may be to roll through, the more likely someone is watching.
Also read: 10 types of bad drivers who must be stopped
Not buckling up is number three on Canada’s most ticketed offence list and police services are employing some new methods for catching drivers and passengers alike. That homeless-looking person offering to wash your windshield at a stop light just might wear a badge under a ragged coat. And tucking the shoulder belt portion under your arm for comfort won’t make your wallet any more comfortable; if a belt isn’t properly worn, the fine still applies.
Improper turns encompass a world of infractions from turning from the wrong lane at an intersection to turning into the wrong lane and more. When merging onto a controlled access highway, remember those painted barrier lines on your left side aren’t simply for decoration. If you merge across a solid line (instead of waiting for the dotted lines) you’re committing an infraction.
Red light running may not be the most popular ticket but it’s one with a large risk of a serious collision. Many drivers use the yellow light as a signal to accelerate to make it through and this maneuver will always bring the attention of those in blue. Traffic light cameras are getting more and more popular with municipalities of almost every size and not every town and city is nice enough to post warning signs. And of course with traffic cam enforcement you don’t even have to be behind the wheel to get the ticket.
In this file photo, Calgary police Const. John Froese illustrates distracted driving with Henry Wise Wood grade 12 high school student Danica Josefchak during an event put on by the Calgary Police Services and Ford.
Leah Hennel, Calgary Herald
Distracted driving is quickly climbing the hit parade list in most jurisdictions and like nabbing seat belt perps, police often employ some imaginative ways of catching their prey. On crowded vacation highways and byways this summer you can expect a high level of enforcement attention on this front.
When travelling with passengers for a longer distance trek, letting them handle and keep your phone is an easy way to avoid the temptation of checking emails or answering a call. Hands-free units are plentiful and affordable leaving no excuse for anyone (besides, you’ll seldom get an excuse to work on the side of the road with an officer). Some police services will even consider eating or drinking a distraction offence.
Failure to yield for emergency vehicles. Some aspects of this legislation are relatively new, as in requiring drivers to separate their vehicles from a stopped emergency vehicle by a full lane if safe to do so. And just slowing down and pulling over for an approaching police/fire vehicle or ambulance won’t cut it; most regulations state you must pull over and come to a complete stop without blocking the emergency unit.
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Aggressive driving can encompass such things as tailgating, failing to yield, sudden braking, and so on. In regular traffic this can be hazardous but the risks of collision escalate when dealing with crowded highways full with overloaded vehicles driven by frazzled drivers. Charges can easily encompass dangerous and hazardous driving which carry heavy penalties and enough demerit points to get you in front of a judge. The best defence is to allow enough time to accommodate delays and to grow a thick layer of skin to keep you from retaliating against any wild-eyed and angry drivers. The best way to think about these types is that they’re simply idiots and your job description as a driver doesn’t include any mandate to educate them.
Unsafe loads cause us all to shake our heads as we tour the highways. If you’re towing a trailer, make sure everything is well secured. If it’s covered with a tarp, spend some extra time and a few dollars for some stretch cords to keep it from flapping. When using roof racks, remember the load limit doesn’t include the effect of wind speeds, so a high heavy load might just end up on the pavement under a tractor-trailer’s wheels.
Unpaid traffic fines are made easier to collect thanks to the advent of scanning cameras. Most police departments have these on their cruisers and they allow the officer to focus on traffic and driving while his or her electronic partner scans every vehicle license plate in range looking for past offenses that weren’t concluded with the payment of a fine. In heavy traffic the alarm on these units go off almost constantly, keeping police very busy. Make sure your driver’s licence and vehicle permits and insurance slips are up to date.
Left-lane banditry, the practice of slower cars holding up the passing lane, is the number one complaint of motorists in North America and a primary cause of road rage. It’s time we finally crack down on the practice.
Chris Graythen, Getty Images
