Ontario Traffic Laws: 5 Things in the Highway Traffic Act You Forgot

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Ontario Traffic Laws 5 Things in the Highway
Traffic Act You Forgot
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Ontario Highway Traffic Laws You Think You
Knowbut may have forgotten!

• The average age of a person in Ontario is 40.4
  years old. Lets just round that down and say the
  average is 40.

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• That means, if you are in or around this number
  and you learned to drive when you were 16 years
  old (as many of us did), youve been driving for
  24 years.
• If you think about what else you learned when
  you were 16like quadratic equationsyoull
  probably notice that there is a lot youve
  forgotten since then.

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•   Sure, we dont all use quadratic equations
  every day, while many of us DO drive, but that
  doesnt mean that were immune to forgetting the
  rules of the road.
• Here are just a few areas where I witness a
  lot of confusion or outright forgetfulness, when
  it comes to traffic rules

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Dont Pass The Flashing School Bus

• I see this one all the time.
• Someone is late for work or an appointment and
  they are impatient sitting behind a school bus
  that has its lights flashing and stop sign
  extended.
• In a fit of pique, they pull around and pass
  the bus. DONT DO THIS. Ever.

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• Ill be blunt You could run a kid over. You
  must remember that we cant see small children
  coming around the front of the bus to cross the
  road. The legal repucussions of getting caught
  (fines for failing to stop are upwards of 2,000
  with a loss of up to 6 demerit points) are
  nothing compared to the guilt and trauma of
  taking a young life simply because you were five
  minutes late for work.

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• Whether approaching a stopped bus, or coming
  up from behind, you MUST stop at least 20 metres
  before or behind.
• The only exception to this is when you are
  oncoming and there is a physical median on the
  road between you and the lane the bus is in. A
  physical median is a raised, paved strip that
  prevents vehicles from crossing over to the
  oncoming lane.

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The Etiquette Of U-Turns

• Unless it is specifically prohibited, you can
  technically make a U-turn in many places. Except
  one at a red light. This is without a doubt the
  craziest move I see drivers making, but make it
  they do!

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• To make a U-turn safely, you need to be able
  to see traffic clearly at least 150 metres
  forward and behind you. Curves, hills or anything
  that blocks your view within about 150 metres are
  signs that you should move on before you make the
  turn.

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• Pull over to the right, using your turn
  signal, and then stop to wait. When traffic is
  clear in both directions, you can put on your
  left turn signal and proceed to make the U-turn.
• And a word to the wise, never assume you can
  legally make a U-turn. Look out for signage, just
  in case. Ignorance of the law is never a defense.

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Doing Circles In A Roundabout

• Roundabouts are the latest traffic trend,
  particularly in rural areas, but a lot of people
  dont know how to use them properly, so heres a
  crash course

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• 1.The cars in the roundabout already have right
  of way, so if youre entering the roundabout, you
  have to yield to traffic already engaged.
• 2.The left lane of a roundabout is for traffic
  going straight or left (around) towards an exit.

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• The right lane of a roundabout is for traffic
  going straight or right (towards the first exit).
  Its important to read the signage as you
  approach the roundabout so you can figure out
  where your exit will be and therefore which lane
  will be appropriate as you shouldnt change lanes
  once youre in the roundabout.

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• 3.Roundabouts ALWAYS go counter-clockwise, so the
  island in the middle is always on your left.
• 4.The lane of a roundabout is not a good place to
  stop because you missed your exit! Keep moving
  and do the loop again. Remember, you have the
  right of way over vehicles entering the
  roundabout.

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•  I understand that many Ontarians are not yet
  used to roundabouts, but remember it could
  always be worse https//www.youtube.com/watch?vK
  afx_GGHqVg

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Bike Hand Signals

• Passing cyclists is an easy one leave a metre
  of space between your car and the bike, where you
  can. But do you remember the hand signals that a
  cyclist might use and what each of them means?

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• Left arm straight out to the side  this means
  the rider is planning to make a left hand turn.
  They are allowed to use the left turn lane, if
  one is available.
• Left arm out and up, palm facing forward 
  this means the rider is going to be making a
  right turn.

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• Right arm straight out to the side  this is
  an alternative signal, to advise they are turning
  right.
• Left arm out and down, palm facing back  this
  means the cyclist is stopping.
• For a visual representation, check out the MTO
  cycling guide, pages 14 16.

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• Of course, the best solution for bikes and cars
  sharing the roadways is to have and use
  designated bike lanes. Hamilton has been working
  hard on making these a reality, in the aim of
  reducing cyclist-motorist accidents significantly!

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Wheel Positioning Matters

• This is an oldie but a goodie when youre
  setting up to turn left at an intersection, keep
  your wheels straight until you make your turn.
  That way, if youre suddenly rear ended, your car
  wont be pushed directly into the path of
  oncoming traffic.

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• Makes sense right? Moreover, its in the Ontario
  Drivers Handbook. But do any of us do think
  about it? Probably not.
• Brushing up on the rules of the road is a good
  idea for everyone, whether youve been driving
  for ten years or fifty.

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• Things change, they move fast and you dont
  want to be second guessing your driving decisions
  while going 100 km/hr down the QEW

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