A Note Before Hitting the Road
Deborah Fonseca, AMTA Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Summer is here, bringing with it road trips, lake days, and cashing in precious vacation time. The days ahead promise sunbathing, pitching tents, and scrambling to pack suitcases the night before leaving. Amidst this chaos, we also combat juggling itineraries, forgetting our sunscreen, or even losing reservations in a sea of emails.
Now, how can we prevent those stresses from overwhelming us on the way to our destinations and keep the journey safe?
Sharing the road. Consider that on major highways, you are driving alongside commercial vehicles, motorcycles, construction crews, RVs, and and much more. Each vehicle has its own strengths and weaknesses. Keep this in mind when you pass others or when you feel frustrated by other drivers. Understand the capabilities of your own vehicle before you take unnecessary risks. Also, consider the professional drivers on the highways that are doing their jobs while people are on road trips. So, give them space to merge, mind their blind spots, and be patient with them.
Be considerate. This includes family members, other drivers, and yourself. Don't let the pressure get the best of you; work through it before you take it out on your family or others on the road. If you give yourself some time before leaving to breathe and focus on the excitement of the trip, you may find everything will go more smoothly.
Prioritize road safety. Ensure your vehicle has everything you need. Check fuel, oil levels, fluids (wiper, brake, transmission, etc.), tires, and lights. The better maintained your vehicle is, the higher the chance you’ll make it to your destination safe and sound. If you have any doubts about your vehicle, consider renting one out for the weekend. There are plenty of options in Alberta.
Pack a safety kit. Consider the essentials in case of an emergency. We suggest:
Flashlight/headlamp
Water bottles
Jumper cables
Air pump
First Aid Kit
Shovel
Candles
Tow ropes
Reflective triangle
Know before you go. Plan your route beforehand. Check for landmarks you want to see on the way to your destination. Check traffic conditions, weather conditions, and construction zones on 511 Alberta, Drive BC, or Highway Hotline Saskatchewan. Planning is the best preventative measure on the road.
Incident prevention. This can be present in many forms: researching road conditions in advance, taking safety precautions, being attentive on the road. Beyond being courteous on the road, understanding driving laws when crossing provincial and national borders can prevent incidents and penalties. As you cross provincial boundaries, driving laws are mostly the same, but there are minor differences. For example:
A flashing green light in BC is NOT an advance left turn light [1].
U-Turns at green lights are legal in Manitoba, Ontaria, New Brunswick, PEI [2].
In Saskatchewan it is illegal to hold a pet in your lap while driving [3].
Impaired driving. Do NOT step behind the wheel if under the influence of any substance, medication, or fatigue. Driving on 17-19 waking hours is the equivalent to having a blood alcohol content of 0.05% [4]. If you suspect someone on the road is driving impaired, call 911. If you plan on going to an event and are considering ingesting any substance, plan for a designated driver. Unfortunately, everybody thinks they are the exception until they are not.
Road attentiveness. Make sure to be well-rested before you get started on the road, play some good music, pack some road snacks, and have plenty of water to stay alert. Be aware of drivers in oncoming lanes and around you. Capture flashing lights, alerts, and keep an eye on the road ahead in case of traffic buildups or incidents. Consider large commercial vehicles; they have larger blind spots and need more time switching lanes, so give them grace and space.
Be as objective as you can. Everyone has different experiences and is seeing the road from a different perspective. If there is something going on that you do not understand, do what you need to keep yourself safe and prevent an incident from happening. Overconfidence on the road is one of the most dangerous mindsets and will lead to accident prone behaviour. If you’re feeling like taking a risk, maybe try playing a radio station you’re not used to, as opposed to a traffic risk.
In summary, the best safety measure we can take is educating ourselves and being confident in our own safety procedures. When we take measures to keep ourselves safe, we are also protecting other drivers who will eventually repay us in the same way.
In short, pay attention, stay safe, and have a happy summer vacation!
[1] 2023. Flashing Green Lights and What They Mean. Tran BC. https://www.tranbc.ca/2014/10/03/flashing-green-lights-and-what-they-mean/
[2] Jason Tchir (2018). Nine surprising rules of the road you may not have known. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/commuting/nine-surprising-rules-of-the-road-you-may-not-have-known/article37454191/
[3] Joel Kranc (2023). Stay in your lane: Unusual driving laws in Canada. Lowest Rates.ca. https://www.lowestrates.ca/blog/auto/stay-your-lane-unusual-driving-laws-canada
[4] 2024. Preventing Impaired Driving. Government of Alberta. https://www.alberta.ca/preventing-impaired-driving