I really need a break.

Its summer and I really need a break from all the crazy drivers out there playing chicken with their lives and mine.

So I am on vacation and going camping. Not too far from home, and just for a few days.

Post: The camping trip was the perfect get-away for me and the girls.

Observations while driving in Toronto & The GTA.

After driving this streets and highways in and around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) which is Niagara, London, Barrie, Kingston region of Southern Ontario I have some news on what I have seen these past ten years.

1. Passing on 400 series of highways is always done on the RIGHT hand lane. The left hand lane is reserved for those who are self described "I am too important to share the road or am too busy to think about how my driving skills are lacking."

2. There is zero difference between a person using a cellphone and a drunk while driving. These drivers don't signal, don't keep their speed or lane, don't see other drivers, and do cause accidents. Using a cell phone even hands free is not safe. Turn the cell off. Also you can't txt while stopped at a red light its still a ticket. The only time you can be texting while in the car is either while parked off the road, or while a passenger.

3.  Drivers enjoy the thrill and challenge of going from the far left lane into the off ramp at the last possible second while causes everybody behind them to slam on the brakes and cause a possible crash.

4. Fender benders block lanes. If you bump into another car then just pull over into the curb lane and then swap insurance etc. Stop blocking the live lane and causing a more dangerous situation. In some states its illegal to block a live lane if the cars involved can be driven off the road.

5. Trucks and other heavy equipment is NOT the cause of how slow the traffic is going. Truckers want to go as fast as possible in a safest possible way. We are professionals and though we all have our bad days, we are out here in traffic more than you are.

6.Speed limiters on Truck only causes more slow moving traffic and blocked lanes. Our provincial governments. Decided to limit trucks to 105kph. None of those politicians were or have ever driven a truck before. The end result is that trucks in an effort to pass other slower moving trucks are blocking our roads and making all traffic move slower. This might be a good result as speed kills.

7. Driver testing: All G class drivers once they have passed their final test are not tested again till they are 80. This needs to change. Did you know that all professional drivers Class A-F are tested every 5 years? These driver need to pass written and practical tests to keep their licence. We should start to pressure the government to force G class drivers to at least take a written test every 5 years. How often have you come to a set of lights and been confused about the signals? Do you really know what that sign means? Do you know how to safely navigate a "round a bout"?

There is so much a driver needs to learn and keep learning about the roads they are driving. Driving is VERY dangerous. Its a contact sport where we try not to hit each other, but when we do we can kill each other.

Driving is not for the faint of heart, the overly cautious or overly confident. Every day I am reminded how dangerous my job is.

I really can't see you!

I guess with the nights becoming longer and there is more darkness in our work days, I have been noticing or rather not seeing people on/in/by the road as I drive around Toronto and Area. People wearing the tradition BLACK clothing walking where cars even with their headlights on can't see you...

Why Oh Why are you hiding and trying to kill yourself?

People don't seem to understand that dressing in BLACK or dark colours makes you very hard to see at night and in the glare of wet roads?

Can you see the bike?
This is the view from my Truck's window. The biker was riding beside me and pulled up to the car in front of me. There is nothing reflective on his bike. I could barely see him.

Cars and trucks have LIGHTS so that they can been seen.... Bikes are required to have the same during night riding... by law he should get a ticket.

The worst is I could have bumped into him and killed him.... I could not see him until it was too late.

The gov.uk.com site had a great idea.... riders must wear reflective clothing while on the road.

People walking should also ALWAYS wear something reflective when outside.... I really do want to see you.

Yet this evening as I was driving around, I saw about 2 people wearing reflective vests.... so there is hope.

booster seats

So that new Ontario law tells us that for a person to go from a booster to a normal seat in a car the person must meet the following;

80lb and 4 feet 11 inches.

Now my daughter has a goal in mind.

My questions is. Does this rule apply to only children or adults as well? I would think that there would be advantages for anybody who is not almost 5 feet tall to be a booster seat. There are some adults who could make great use of a booster as they are too short for the cars which are built for the typical Anglo driver here in Canada and the USA for that matter. How many times have you been driving and seen a headless driver? Also doesn't an air bag work best if the person is over 100lb? Its why children are not allowed in the front seat of a car until they reach that weight.

So I think that the rule should apply to any person and not just a child.

Are you a supporter of the Afghan's

True story:
A cross-border Canadian driver approached the border crossing @ Lewiston USA. He was wearing a red poppy (the kind that the Royal Legion sells every year) on his sweater. When his turn came to speak with the USA customs officer the much younger(age) officer asked him if he was supporting the Afghan's. The driver politely asked what the officer was talking about.

The office became very insistent on having an answer from the driver. "You are wearing a poppy. Are you not? Poppies are a major drug export of that nation and you are wearing one." replied the officer. Now the driver was is a retired Canadian Armed forces member and took great offence to the line of questions and the tone of the officer.

The driver expressed that he was deeply offended by the officers remarks and question. The Driver through the use of  some choice words towards the younger officer expressed his rage at the officers disrespect towards all those whose memory the driver and both our nations were were trying to protect and remember each time this year. The driver was not afraid of the officer and his gun. He was enraged by the younger officers disrespect for the poppy and what it means when worn.

What the driver and customs' officer did not know, was the the customs supervisor was listening to the entire conversation from the office and came out to address the problem. It did not help that the conversation was being over head across the parking lot at this point.

Finally the driver decided that enough was enough and was just about to ask to speak with the supervisor, when he appeared. The supervisor interrupted the heated argument and thanked the driver for taking the time to explain why he wore the poppy and wished him a good day. The supervisor then turned to the young officer and began to berate the young officer very loudly.

The driver left the station and would not easily forget the encounter.

So how do you remember?? Are you ready to defend yourself?

police on their cell phone

Howdy,

Just wondering if anybody else has seen a cop on their cell phone while driving? I see it far too often on the roads, esp in Toronto, Ontario. I am concerned that their might be a double-standard when it comes to the anti-cell phone laws. I don't understand that with their union that they can't find a way to have a hands-free device mandatory on their cars.

Should I report their usage to the police? Of would cops policing cops be a bad idea?

Cell phones while driving?

Just in case you have not heard.... using your cell phone and any function of it is very dangerous... Why cause you are not using your mind to drive with. You must think that its easy or safe to driving with that thing on your ear. I and most people are able to pick out cell phone driving morons on the road. 
For some reason, while using your cell you think that its OK not to signal, check your blind spot or even keep up with the flow of traffic anymore. 


You have to remember that in my truck I am sitting about 4 feet higher than you are in your car. I can see into your car and see you with your cell phone on and trying to drive. PLEASE STOP YOUR CAR AND THEN OPERATE IT.


I would feel much safer with you no using that dam thing. I would love to be able to call the cops on each and every one of your drivers, but the problem is that I would have write down your plate number and then pull over to make the call. 


I wonder what would happen if you were in an accident and then the cops as a policy checked the cell phone useage of all drivers. They found that yours were on, and then charged you with the accident and you had to pay for all the damages... then you could not get insurance... because you were chraged with a DUI which resulted in your being stripped of your driver's licence for a year. Would you stop using your cell phone then? Or what if you caused the accident and killed somebody?


WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU TO STOP USING THAT DAME PHONE?