My Wet Coast Life

Following up to my article in April when they announced the tough new impaired driving laws, British Columbia's new impaired driving law is about to kick in on Monday, September 20^th. This will make B.C. have the toughest impaired driving laws in the country.

Now I cannot say if these stronger penalties could have prevented my friends death or others who have died at the hands of impaired drivers but it should will prevent future loss of life. Impaired driving alone kills an average of 133 people and injures more than 3,000 each year and hopefully that number is going to go down, and fast.

Between 1998 and 2007, 1,133 people were killed and 32,551 people injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in British Columbia. This included the deaths of 115 children.
(source- PDF)

Now what are these new impaired driving laws I speak of? How severe are they? To start, you can now face a driving ban of 3 days and hefty fines starting at 0.05 blood-alcohol level instead of the previous 0.08 level.

Now one thing to note, impaired driving laws are not just for cars. It doesn't matter if you’re driving a car, piloting a boat or plane, or any other motor vehicle, this law applies. This can also apply even if you were not driving and did not move the vehicle. Short and sweet of it, BTW I AM NOT A LAWYER, if you are in care or control of a vehicle, which means you were in the driver’s seat and had access to the ignition key, you could be charged. Something to think about. Capiche?

So first let's start with the new stuff. Before if you blew 0.05 to 0.08 also known as the WARNING level, you would get a 24 hour suspension and possibly your car towed and $100 fee when you renew your license, now it kicks it up and goes a little like this:

First Offense for 0.05 in a 5 year period:

3 day driving ban
Car impounded for 3 days (towing & storage fees will cost about $150)
$250 driver's license reinstatement fee
$200 administrative driving penalty

Total: $600+

Second Offense for 0.05 in a 5 year period:

7 day driving ban
Possibly have car impounded for 7 days (towing & storage fees will cost about $200)
$300 administrative driving penalty
$250 driver's license reinstatement fee

TOTAL: $750+

Third Offense for 0.05 in a 5 year period:

30 day driving ban
Car impounded for 30 days (towing & storage fees will cost about $700)
$400 administrative driving penalty
$250 driver's license reinstatement fee

Then to regain your driving privileges:
$880 for the Responsible Driver Program
$1420 for an ignition interlock device (use for one full year)

TOTAL: $3,650+

First Offense for 0.08:
90 day driving ban
Car impounded for 30 days (towing & storage fees will cost about $700)
$500 administrative driving penalty
$250 driver's license reinstatement fee

Then to regain your driving privileges:
$880 for the Responsible Driver Program
$1420 for an ignition interlock device (use for one full year)

TOTAL: $4,000+
Plus you also have possible criminal code charges on top of that.

Now I'll give you a second or so to absorb all that info....and times up. If you're under the Graduated licensing program, you can also get additional actions over and above the above stated offenses due to zero tolerance. Also the Motor Vehicle Act places ultimate responsibility on the vehicle owner, so if you lend your car to a friend or family member and they get caught, it will be your car sitting impounded. Another thing to think about.

To see all the info on impaired driving, visit BC Superintendent of Motor Vehicles site: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/

Now what would tough drinking laws be without adding some new speeding laws? They kick in on the same day and they are harsh. If you get caught doing 40km/h over the posted speed limit, AKA excessive speeding, here's what you're gonna get for your first ticket:

$905 fine
Your car is impounded for 7 days (over $200 in towing and storage fees)
$320 more a year for insurance for 3 years!

TOTAL: $2000+

Keep it up and subsequent charges grow quickly and it can get up to $24,000, yes $24,000. Do it in a construction zone and double the fine. If we combine theses two new changes to the impaired driving and speeding laws, let's say you and some friends went for couple beers after work, stayed a bit too long and now need to rush home (or somewhere else) and get caught speeding 40km/h over the posted limit. If you blew over 0.05 blood-alcohol, you would be looking around $2500 in fines and no vehicle for a week.

Now for the ignorant or the gamblers/risk takers, this will not stop them from having a couple drinks and getting behind the wheel BUT the repercussions are now severe enough that after being busted once, most (unless they can financially afford it) won't do it again. Getting caught could also affect your employment if you commute or drive for a living. There is also the financial aspect too. If you live pay check to pay check, which is nearly 60% of the Canadian population, you could become homeless.

One thing to keep in mind, blowing a point 0.05 blood-alcohol level varies per person. There are factors such as weight, how many drinks you've had in a certain time frame and the strength of the drink. There are various blood-alcohol calculator sites that can give a rough estimate based on that info. As an example, say a 160lbs person drank 2 Canadian beers (5% alcohol) in 1 hour, you can now potentially blow a 0.05. Depending on when you finished your last drink and got behind the wheel could also effect the reading. Curious what you would be, check it out for yourself to get a rough idea of what your limit is here

With these new laws coming into effect, i have NO sympathy for anyone that gets caught. You were aware of the risks, you took them and now you can pay the price. Consider it as the police office just saved your life, other occupants in the car or someone else innocently affected by the ignorance and inconsideration of another. And if you've read this far, you are now aware and educated so the CHOICE is up to you now.

On my way home from work yesterday, i survived a JRfm bumper sticker toting minivan drifting into my lane on a corner as the car in front of me slammed on the brakes and I had to swerve at the last minute to avoid getting hit cause they still didn't see me or realize they are half way in my lane and have completely taken away my braking distance. He got a horn and salute from me. He quickly moved back to his lane after that nerve racking event and in the process cut off the driver that was behind him in his previous lane. That moronic driver then tried to change lanes into my passenger door a couple hundred meters later without shoulder checking to see if i was there or indicating his intention. He just started moving towards me and my feeble horn gave him another reminder that I was there. And of course it had not 1 but 2 JRfm 93.7 bumper stickers on it, cause 1 ain't enough. Ahhh...those bumper stickers explained it all.

Luckily, thanks to the Canada's Worst Driver series on Discovery Channel, they have given real good tips on how to get out of a jam and just common sense when on the road. The one tip that has saved me more than once from the idiot drivers, and what worked for me yesterday, is when not-so-smart drivers like to cut in between you and the car in front of you, with no indicator and no space of course, while the car in front of you is already breaking hard, thus taking away any breaking distance you might have had. Canada's Worst Driver showed me not to slam on the brakes but just to let off the gas and steer to retain control. That is why I'm still here and able to write this.

In December of '09, I wrote about how you can identify bad drivers on the road in the lower mainland by looking for the JRfm 93.7 bumper sticker(s) and how JR 93.7 FM listeners are the worst drivers but at least give a courteous warning via the red and white sticker(s).

Thank you Canada's Worst Driver for the tips over the last 5 seasons, they have saved myself a couple times now and would've been a different outcome had i not watched your show and paid attention. You can watch all of Season 5, if in Canada, here.

Now the previous night before this most recent incident, i was checking some stats for the blog and noticed traffic coming from searches for JRfm 93.7. Curious, i decided to Google it and see where my blog stands in the search results. To my amazement, i am ranked second only to JRfm's actual website when searching "JR 93.7 FM" and other similar searches kept me in the top 5, WIN! Maybe the listeners will see my article, read it and change their ways? Or they may just remove the bumper sticker so they can stay on the down low. This has nothing to do with JRfm 9.7 station and the music they play, rather their fan base's lack of driving skills. But you never know, the station could promote it, i wouldn't know as i listen to 99.3 the FOX on my commute, cause the FOX ROCKS!

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It's been awhile since my last post due to being busy with work and other things. But now i feel the need to share my 2 bits on another issue that irks me and finally measures are being introduced to reduce/eliminate drunks on the road and severely penalize the ones that still drive drunk.

British Columbia has finally stepped up to take on the drunk drivers and impose stiffer penalties. This week they announced tough new measures to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road and implement stiffer penalties for those that think they are OK to drive after having a few brews, when they are in fact not OK, and get caught.

I have had friends, and most likely you do to, that still stupidly get behind the wheel after a few when they should have made a smarter choice for getting home and luckily they are still around. Unfortunately, sooner or later, their luck will run out or maybe already has. Sometimes my friends or I were able to stop them by taking away their keys. But every so often, some felt obliged to refuse or even go to the extent of offering "we''ll fight for it". Some battles are just not worth it. You can't win against someone aiming for top spot on the Darwin awards. I just hope they don't take out others in that process. We can only hope.

Everyone that drives and has a wobbly pop or two, or three, has multiple alternate options and choices to make. They can get designated driver, take a cab, call a sober friend, stay overnight, take transit and one of the best services of all, Operation Red Nose, a volunteer safe ride home service. That's 6 alternate options compared to getting behind the wheel but alas, ignorance fueled by alcohol is bliss.

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So for Easter Friday, i amazingly got the day off work so Robotrogue and I decided for our next hike to go do the Lynn Loop in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve in North Vancouver. It has a variety of trails, a suspension bridge, multiple other bridges and a cave tunnel (if you can find it). We arrived at the the Lynn Canyon Park entrance at around 8am and it was a decent 8^oC with a light rain and luckily, light wind too. The forecast for the day was winds, gusting over 70 knots, and up to 40mm of rain but we were prepared with more or less, the right gear for the weather. It is the wet coast, where you don't tan, you rust. Now Robotrogue recently got some new gear from Mountain Equipment Co-Op and T.A.D. Gear and this weather was perfect to test it out.

We decided we would start by crossing the suspension bridge and then head in a northerly direction and loop around to the Baden Powell trail. With one of the best ways to start a hike, we made our way across enjoying the view from the suspension bridge and the rushing water below. After some quick pics, we were on our way. Our first section took us along a gentle winding path running parallel with the river. After about 10 minutes or so, we were greeted by a rather daunting set of stairs. Hmmmm....

Now before going any further, a bit of background info. Both of us have the goal of getting back into shape and trying to get outdoors more often. I'm trying to gain weight and Robotrogue is trying to lose some. We decided to ensure we packed all the required equipment for a day hike, even though we were still close to civilization and a bit harder to get lost. Yet again, the expected terrain, anything can and could happen and always better to be prepared than not. This included a first aid kit, space blanket, change of dry clothes, water, food, mini stove (more on that later), whistle...well, you get the idea. We planned for the worst expecting the best, which is what we got. We saw a lot of people on the trail with nothing but a jacket but i guess they are either using the multi-use wide trails which have inherently less risk or just being ill-prepared for the outdoors and banking on someone else for assistance. This also gave us a decent weight in our packs to test our fitness level on a more intermediate hike than compared to our trek through Pacific Spirit park.

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Link: http://worldsunluckiesttraveller.ca/index.asp?init_story=235

For some odd reason, Mother Nature and me don't always get along and severe weather events tend to follow me wherever i go. When i was in Kenya, my visa was about to expire and i needed to leave. Mother Nature i guess didn't want me to leave and decided to throw some of the heaviest recorded rains at us and turn everything into a giant mud pit and so began my adventure back to Canada....with mother nature waiting for me to land to continue her weather madness.

Now why am i talking about this you ask?
Well...i came across Travel Guards Unluckiest Traveller Competition. This contest allows people like me to post the unluckiest travel incidents and get voted on and guess what? They accepted my story!

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