VE met quite a few . travellers this summer and it’s become appar- ent that British Columbia is not only renowned for it’s scenic beauty and bonehead drivers. We here in this fair province have a rel- . atively rare road arrangement known as _ the “uncontrolled tis: ‘something most . -Jocals have always taken for _. granted; having been born d/or raised here, but it’s surprise that many dri caught off guard fhe ae encumbrance a igns telling drivers, what they fmay Not do. » There are; however, laws , and while ‘righe Of way,rules “should be obvious to some-:. : one ‘trained to drive in B.C., is nota good thing. cally, when two or. - t at any angl and Tack’ any sort’ of regulato- Ty, stop or yield: signs, the « row of convergence is own as an uncontrolled. . intefséction. The rule’drivers are to follow: ‘when approach- ing th intersections, are ive way to any vehicle that ‘the right; or approach- ing from the right. The car on the right has the right-of- way. Right? “But be aware that right- of-way has to be giver: before one can take it. When you’re in the car on the right never assume that any driver on the left: 2) can see vehicles on the right (ie. you); b) has time to react to the vehicle on the right; c) knows the rules; d) could care less about the ruies. You must slow down when approaching any uncontrolled intersection in order to allow enough time to assess the intentions of other drivers in the arcz and/or give way when . required. The “car on the right” rule is not arbitrary. The car on the left has more space to observe cars on the right — * half the intersection, in fact. Furthermore, were a “T- bone collision” to occur it would be the driver of the - car on the right who would most likely suffer che most when the driver's side is hit, hence, we yield instead. Hey, it’s a good rule. Right? It is fortunate and no fluke, that uncontrolled intersections are most com- monly located in quiet, rural areas where traffic is so sparse that a stop sign would be a hindrance most of the time and would otherwise encourage drivers to break the stop law. An uncon- trolled intersection is suppose to encourage drivers to slow down and pay attention but not stop unnecessarily. Unfortunately, many dei- vers assume right of way and will drive at full speed through an uncontrotled intersection, They think that since the road they're on is bigger, more utilized or bet- ter suited for bonchead behaviour, that there’s never anyone coming up that little side road. Slowing down and looking for nothing is a waste of time. Slowing down might, in fact, be a waste of time, save for the fact that drivers have had a couple of extra seconds to assess the intersection and make that decision before continuing on through. Stopping, on the other hand, often seems unwar- ranted and can be just plain frustrating, which is why some drivers will “blow” a stop sign, occasionally result- ing in a crash where a simple slow and yield would have resulted in the smooth flow of traffic. Lo and behold, the rudi- mentary driving practice mandated by the uncon- trolled intersection law is becoming fess and less preva- lent. Quaint North Shore - neighbourhood after quaint North Shore neighbourhood is crying out for better meth- ods of slowing traffic down _ Without pasting stop signs everywhere. There are numerous alter- natives for “calming” traffic without stopping it com- pletely Some are more sensi- fe than others. Traffic circles work but small ones do not. Too bad. It’s 20 wonder that visi- tors from out of town are a litde bewildered by uncon- teolied intersections, Even the locals can’t always seem to get it right. Take control of the uncontrolled. Calra down, look around, be right, be safe. Complete mechanical & electrical repairs -- MPEX AUTO 4 (off Pemberton ee entrance at rear) Now $64,465 or $86 Zins. tw $59,975 cr SP2Amo. "$8,000 5. P,, LP $22,012 Isn’ t ae OWNER by factory trained technician 4166A West 14th Street Tel: 985-6237 _ - $8,000 B.P., TP, $33,184 it time you drove .a new - All leases 36 mos. All prices net of rebates. Friday, August &, 1999 — North Shore News — 34 | Fransesissions, } Fransmsissions, s Fransmissions. B SINCE 1982 (They're all wa thisk aban) Because transmissions are what we do-and all we de. Ask ahout our FREE TOHANS © We honour Most Extended Warranties [Ne Financing Available 0.A.C. {inde el tet Heaind 1 DUPSein | | 9s | ! sic ec nee in BQO | i For most domestic & & imported veh i N.i VANCOLIVER - = (604) 987-8537 - 860 West 15th Street, Across from Dave Buck Ford Independently Owned & Operated » Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-6 7AYLORMOTOVE COLLISION. SPECIALISTS ‘for Forolgn & Domestic A wIGHEST VOLUME AML MAKE 1.€.B.€. VENDOR | By The Hone of the Fie ~ Guarantee cal £ . ea po Senta oes io, TALKING oat 2) GEE Ieee ‘ne $43,968 3 S52 Gin, $8,000 BP, TP. $30,428. caaiitae?