Even with all of the transportation options available in Vernon, many trips still require a car. Whether it be a commuter trip to or from another community or a trip to the grocery store, the City of Vernon is committed to ensuring the mobility of motorists is maintained as the population grows.
"Did you know that more people have died on Canada's roads in the last 50 years than the number of Canadians killed in two world wars? In fact, the numbers tell us that on average, six Canadians die in road crashes every day. Many more are seriously hurt.”
Driving/Carpooling and Safety
Tips to ensure that your carpooling arrangement is safe.
Driver Behaviour and Road Safety - Seniors
There are more and more seniors every year in Vernon. This website provides information for seniors who are continuing to drive well into their seventies and eighties.
Driver Behaviour and Road Safety - Seatbelts
It is the law to wear a seatbelt. This website provides additional information about seatbelt safety.
Low-Powered Vehicles: Rules of the Road
A handy resource for which low powered vehicles, such as scooters, motor-assisted bicycles and segways, can be operated on the roads and which vehicles should stick to sidewalks.
Motorist Awareness and Sharing the Road
A short film on how to share the road with other users. (Courtesy of City of Kelowna Smart Trips)
Motorcycle Safety Tips and New Motorcycle Safety Laws
With new laws coming into effect this summer, this summary of motorcycle safety tips is a useful resource.
Transport Canada
The key to safe driving is to pay attention to the road - at all times - and avoid distractions such as texting and using cell phones. For safety's sake, make sure all passengers are properly buckled up, including children in proper car seats (also called child restraints) that make it safer for your child. Child restraints help to secure your child during a sudden stop or crash. This will increase protection to your child and help reduce the chance of serious injury or even death. The size of your child will determine which seat is the best choice. Please visit the
Transport Canada website for several tips on safe travel, which type of car seat is recommended and how to install and use them.
Download the pdf on rear child seats.
ICBC has a wide variety of materials that are free of charge for
educators.
These educational materials support prescribed learning outcomes as established by the B.C. Ministry of Education for students in Kindergarten through Grade 10.
“Driving over the speed limit can be dangerous, and deadly, especially at higher speeds. Even driving the speed limit, but too fast for conditions - such as in rain or snow - can also result in a crash, injuries or death.”
ICBC
Please visit
ICBC’s website for safety tips.
Anti-idling
Did you know?
Idling longer than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more CO2 compared to restarting the engine.
10 minutes of idling wastes an average of 100 litres of gas and produces approximately 197,830 grams of GHGs a year
Unnecessary idling wastes money and fuel, and produces greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to climate change.
“As an individual, you can be instrumental in reducing environmental impacts. If every driver of a light duty vehicle avoided idling by three minutes a day, collectively over the year, we would save 630 million litres of fuel, over 1.4 million tonnes of
GHG emissions, and $630 million annually in fuel costs (assuming fuel costs are $1.00/L).”
Natural Resources Canada
Why do Canadians Idle?
Idling Facts
- With computer-controlled, fuel-injected engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away.
- The tires, transmission, wheel bearings and other moving parts also need to be warm for the vehicle to perform well. Most of these parts don't begin to warm up until the vehicle is in motion.
- Avoid high speeds and rapid acceleration for the first five kilometres. This lets the whole vehicle reach peak operating temperature as quickly as possible without paying a fuel penalty.
- Restarting a car many times has little impact on engine components such as the battery and the starter motor. The wear on parts that restarting the engine causes adds about $10 a year to the cost of driving - money that you'll likely recover several times over in fuel savings.
- Idling in the GTA wastes 90,686,277 litres of fuel per year.
- Idling in the GTA costs $72,893,715 in wasted fuel.
- If every motorist in the GTA reduced their idling time by 5 minutes per day, it would be equivalent to taking 36,900 cars off the road every year.
- Vehicle exhaust contains harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, which contribute to urban smog, acid rain, poor air quality and a variety of health problems, such as asthma and heart disease.
- Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to disease and health complications due to smog and poor air-quality.
For more information please visit:
Natural Resources Canada
HASTE-BC Hub Action For School Transportation Emissions
Why Carpool?
Carpooling is an affordable alternative to driving alone and offers many benefits
Lower greenhouse gas emissions
Saves money on gas and insurance
Lower stress
Meet new people
Fewer cars on the road
