Dufferin County State of Emergency

[irishfield]

read back a bit on visual adjustment and the fact woodenboater was suggesting driving with your 4 ways on. There is nothing worse, again in my opinion, than doing so. On a perfectly CLEAR day.. people hit cars with 4 ways on and police cruisers with all their lights on. Sounds like fishinautograph concurs.. and he's a cop !

[Fisherman]

read back a bit on visual adjustment and the fact woodenboater was suggesting driving with your 4 ways on. There is nothing worse, again in my opinion, than doing so. On a perfectly CLEAR day.. people hit cars with 4 ways on and police cruisers with all their lights on. Sounds like fishinautograph concurs.. and he's a cop !

X2, it's a device to indicate your vehicle is disabled, if your still driving, you're not disabled. But then again some people don't read the rules and make up their own interpretations as they go.

[lew]

I recall a fire I was at one night years ago where we had 4 or 5 fire trucks, a couple ambulances and 1/2 a dozen police cars, all parked on the road with more flashing lights than the mid-way at the CNE.

 

A citizen came up to us and demanded we put flares around all the trucks so passing drivers could see us. He was told by police if drivers couldn't see us with all the flashing lights a couple flares sure wouldn't make a difference.

 

He wandered off in a huff saying he was gonna report us for putting drivers at risk but we never heard anything more.

Edited January 30, 2014 by lew

[woodenboater]

no offense intended wayne. just experience while driving in the gta was aimed at those who drive excessive speeds for conditions (like driving beyond your headlights) and using while driving with low viz. always thought using them while parked was sop if one didn't have flares. I'll need to revisit this practice

[FloatnFly]

what it comes down to with the 4 ways is people turn their heads to look at the lights, your natural instinct is to go where you're looking ( try walking a straight line while looking to the left or right) so if you're looking at the blinking lights at the side of the road, you're going to go to the lights, like andrew lovehusband says, look where you want to go

Edited January 30, 2014 by FloatnFly

[lew]

Sadly, some people will crash into you no matter what you do to keep yourself safe, whether your driving in poor light conditions or broke down at the side of the road.

 

People drive on straight dry roads in bright daylight with no other cars around and they still manage to smash themselves up.

 

I doubt anyone will argue though that flashing lights are far more visible and better at getting your attention that constant on lights. Emergency vehicles use them as do snowplows, tow trucks and pretty well any other vehicles working near moving traffic.

 

High buildings, towers and big bridges have flashing lights so planes can see them easier and even lighthouses use a flashing light so they get the attention of ships still miles out at sea.

 

People need to learn how to drive & pay attention to their surroundings and not crash into parked vehicles because they have their 4 ways on.

 

Just like they need to put their stupid cell phones down while their driving.

 

And something that always bugs me is the rule that says you need to either slow down or move over to another lane when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle on the hiway, but not for some poor schmuck broke down or trying to chance a flat tire at the side of the road.

 

I've been driving more than 50 years and ALWAYS use my 4 ways when stopped on the hiway and so far...touch wood...it's worked out OK for me.

Edited January 30, 2014 by lew

[Big Cliff]

4 ways and flashing lights are supposed to be a warning that there is some sort of a problem or obstruction, when I see them I slow right down and make sure I know exactly what is going on. I have been driving for over 50 years, seen lots of 4 ways and flashing lights and never ran into any of them. Perhaps if other drivers slowed down and made sure they knew what the issue was they wouldn't run into them either! Too many people are getting licenses by going to places like Lindsay and taking their tests when the roads are clean and dry then getting out there to face the reality of driving in Canada.

[kuhaman]

4 ways and flashing lights are supposed to be a warning that there is some sort of a problem or obstruction, when I see them I slow right down and make sure I know exactly what is going on. I have been driving for over 50 years, seen lots of 4 ways and flashing lights and never ran into any of them. Perhaps if other drivers slowed down and made sure they knew what the issue was they wouldn't run into them either! Too many people are getting licenses by going to places like Lindsay and taking their tests when the roads are clean and dry then getting out there to face the reality of driving in Canada.

Yup

[woodenboater]

My wife tested at a facility in Malton and I was floored. She's a fine driver (Australian who drove all over the world, left and right wheels)) but the testing there…well I just shake my head. f I recall correctly, it was a closed system of roads etc.. She did have to hit Airport Rd and real traffic as part of her exam but to test in a closed loop with no real traffic and distractions is just baffling and explains much. Not sure if this place is still open but it should be shut down. Learn on real roads in real traffic, test on real roads in real traffic.

Edited January 30, 2014 by woodenboater

[BillM]

I'm willing to guess people driving with their 4 ways on cause more accidents then people that don't.. It's such a distraction, especially for people that aren't all that comfortable driving in adverse conditions.

 

Unless you're in a ditch, leave them off.

[bigugli]

what it comes down to with the 4 ways is people turn their heads to look at the lights, your natural instinct is to go where you're looking ( try walking a straight line while looking to the left or right) so if you're looking at the blinking lights at the side of the road, you're going to go to the lights, like andrew lovehusband says, look where you want to go

You are quite right about it being a natural reaction/reflex. It takes a lot of training and discipline to not travel in the direction you are looking. The military spent months drilling that particular habit out of us so we would march in a straight line without deviation despite having our heads turned to the right or left

[bigugli]

My wife tested at a facility in Malton and I was floored. She's a fine driver (Australian who drove all over the world, left and right wheels)) but the testing there…well I just shake my head. f I recall correctly, it was a closed system of roads etc.. She did have to hit Airport Rd and real traffic as part of her exam but to test in a closed loop with no real traffic and distractions is just baffling and explains much. Not sure if this place is still open but it should be shut down. Learn on real roads in real traffic, test on real roads in real traffic.

You are supposed to imagine there are other vehicles, and pedestrians in the roadway. You "imagine" you are parallel parking between two large vehicles. It is not an ideal way to assess driver ability, but it makes it easy for those driving schools that focus on teaching you "to pass the test" rather than how to drive.

One of the reasons for the Malton facility, according to one MOT supervisor, was that it was a safer alternative/option that reduces risk and hazard to the MOT employees. I was amazed when told just how high the accident rate was during driver testing in Toronto some 25 years back. Would you believe one a week. That's a lot of tax money paid into lost time and WSIB.

[Terry]

It drives me crazy. People with no lights or just hazard lights on. Put you headlights and tail lights on in whiteout conditions

And if your really smart try cleaning them and or clearing the snow off them

I had a white van I came up on in a whiteout no lights stopped on the road. Right tires were just onto the shoulder. I ended up beside him on the shoulder by the time I stop. Sat to see what he was doing. Moron was stopped on the road in a whiteout to make a Uturn guess cause driving was bad.

[Renegade67]

You see it all the time. Cars with just enough of the windshield cleared to see out. Hood, roof and rear window completely covered and snow obscuring the tail lights. They should be ticketed! The shear lazziness of some.....

 

I'm may be going for some greasers tomorrow. It all depends if my partner has to clear his contracts overnight or not. This constant wind just blows. lol.

[fishing n autograph]

Easy jab

[Sinker]

I use to always tell my friends and family to drive safe. Now I tell them to watch out for the idiots on the roads. On bad weather days, I stick to the worst roads possible. Less idiots, and I have no problem driving in snow or on bad roads. I kinda like it.....its the rest of the idiots I worry about, not me.

 

S.

[kickingfrog]

I wonder how much the counties and municipalities not doing as much snow fencing has contributed to the blowing snow on the roads?

[4x4bassin]

I always thought about why they don't put up snow fences around here . Well , during a winter like we have been having the last couple years they would work but I can

tell you this year it would be a waste of time . The drifts around here (#89 and Airport rd) are massive , you would need 10 ft snow fences !

I do know that in some problem areas around here the county has actually planted trees to provide a "living snow fence" some good examples of this is hwy 10 , north of

Orangeville . Great idea and it works ! Wish they would do that up my way . Oh and by the way still snowed in, all roads around me are still closed

[kickingfrog]

They don't always work but they can make a difference. Even a snow drift, created by a snow fence, a hundred feet from the road can help keep some of the blowing snow off the highway. I helped plant some of those trees 20 odd years ago in the Orangeville and Shellbourne areas.

[4x4bassin]

Ya I guess a snow fence would work at keeping the drifting down a bit but I really like the idea of the tree's . One initial pay out on product and labour and your done for the next 100 years .

That's funny that you helped with those trees around O"ville and Shelburne , good job ! You should see the size of the drifts on the leeward side of those trees on #10

[BillM]

They planted a crapload of trees on the 400SB between Coldwater and Barrie. I'm guessing that's exactly why they planted them...

[4x4bassin]

You are right Bill , I forgot about those ones !

[BillM]

Its going to take a few years for those to be useful! LOL!!!!!!

[DRIFTER_016]

Strange winter for sure.

We usually get most of our snow before Christmas and our brutal cod after.

Not this year, barely any snow before and more -40 days than the last 2 years combined.

Then after Christmas, tons of snow and less brutal temps. We are also having way more wind than usual.

Went out ice fishing once before and once after Christmas so far.

They are forecasting mid -30 windchills this weekend so I will be cleaning the old house and watching hockey by the looks of things.

[Renegade67]

Farmers are given a little kick back if they leave a few rows of corn standing beside the road to act like a snow fence. It helps a bit.

 

From what I hear from participating farmers is since the corn does not get worked in the ground in the fall that area does not produce as good of a crop the following year so many are not going to continue with it.