Opinion: Higher highway speeds would be a step in the wrong direction

There was something oddly familiar about Ontario Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek’s case for reviewing the speed limits on 400-Series highways. The routes are designed for 120 km/h, he told media during a recent presentation at the Toronto Region Board of Trade, adding that the general public would be consulted on the issue.

Stay right, chain up, slow down in B.C.

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Bad weather has been known to wreak havoc on B.C. Coquihalla Highway’s Snowshed Hill, but the province hopes to keep traffic flowing with the help of a pilot project than bans hill-climbing trucks from the left lane between Box Canyon and Zopkios. And that’s only one change among a series of recent measures to improve highway safety throughout B.C.’s mountainous interior.

Violations — and gender — increase likelihood of crashes

ARLINGTON, Va. — The next time someone jokes about women drivers, they might want to think about the latest research results from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

The institute’s updated crash predictor model continues to identify violations for reckless driving or failing to yield the right of way as the top two behaviors that predict future crashes by truck drivers. But gender appears to play a role as well.

The Social Sergeant: Kerry Schmidt

TORONTO, ON — Sgt. Kerry Schmidt has become one of the most visible faces of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The media relations officer for the Highway Safety Division logs near-daily reports on rush-hour pileups in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) through his social media feeds, receiving attention from as far away as the United Kingdom. There are also appearances on Discovery’s Heavy Rescue: 401.

Overpass complete at high risk forest road crossing

VANDERHOOF, B.C. — The $5.2 million Bobtail Forest Service Road overpass is finally complete and open for business.