Arrow keeps officers and motorists safe
Which way? Ponoka ITS test out their new sign to direct traffic to an adjacent lane. The purpose is to keep motorists away from a scene for the safety of officers and drivers.
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You see them on the highways in the breakdown lane with red and blue lights flashing; Integrated Traffic Services (ITS) performs an essential role in keeping motorists safe.
But there appears to be some confusion with drivers on how to approach a scene when a unit’s lights are flashing.
ITS Sgt. Nathan Kardish believes he has a tool to help
The Sheriffs branch has purchased two new light bars, one in Ponoka and the other in Banff, to direct drivers away from hazards with a large flashing arrow, into either the left or right lane. Sheriffs’ vehicles have their usual accompaniment of emergency lights, but Kardish has noticed uncertainty in people with the existing lights, which steadily blink on a bar from left to right or vice-versa.
“It’s for the safety of officers and the public. If we can get them over and away from us, the arrow helps,” he explained.
The arrows are in response to several collisions on highways involving patrol vehicles; most of them had stopped another car on the highway.
There also seems to be confusion over which lane drivers are supposed to slow down and which ones they can stay in the speed limit. Only in the immediate adjacent lane are drivers required to travel at 60 km/h, but Kardish sees many people “applying the brakes” two lanes over.
“The lane over can go the speed limit,” he explained.
Most drivers are aware of the rules but for those who don’t know it can create a bottleneck at the scene.
Kardish feels this will also minimize distractions for motorists on the highway.
Each month ITS has a different focus and February has four operations targeted on distracted driving.
“Cellphones appear to be the biggest distraction,” he explained.
Sometimes drivers will hold their cellphone and use the speaker on it, but Kardish said the purpose of the law is for drivers to have both hands available for driving. He also made an interesting observation on speeding.
The average driver’s response time is approximately one second — travelling at 110 km/h is about 30 metres per second — when a person increases their speed in the hopes they will arrive sooner, they also increase the closing speed on a scene. This can increase the danger during times of heavy traffic, especially during rush hour or holiday seasons.
“If you do the math, speeding is not that fast. It doesn’t make sense,” he stated.
