Question the Constable! is a new segment the Sunshine Coast RCMP is featuring weekly.
Residents can email or Tweet their questions related to the RCMP on the Coast, and each week one question will be answered. Persons submitting questions will have their information kept anonymous, and questions may be paraphrased. Submit questions via email: [email protected] or via Twitter: @COAST_RCMP. Please do not report crimes through email or Twitter, as these accounts are not monitored 24/7.
Question: Do vehicles turning right onto Norwest Bay Road from Highway 101 have to stop at the red light before turning right? I see about half of the vehicles do stop, while the remainder do not.
Answer: Yes, the Motor Vehicle Act requires that drivers stop for all red lights. After stopping, you can then turn right, as long as a sign does not prohibit doing so. While making the right turn, you must yield the right of way to pedestrians and other vehicles.
The issue that arises at some intersections — like the one at Norwest Bay Road — is that because it is a three-way intersection, some drivers may think that there is no need for them to stop, because there is no oncoming traffic.
However, collisions happen when the unexpected happens. If you habitually turn right at the red light without stopping, you run the risk of not being prepared when the driver in front of you does obey the law and comes to a full stop, and you rear-end that car. Or worse, you run the light without seeing a pedestrian crossing from the ocean side of the highway, despite there being no marked crosswalk on that side of the intersection.
The same can be said for other similar intersections on the Sunshine Coast.
In Gibsons, the intersection of Henry Road and Highway 101 comes to mind, where drivers in ferry traffic often disregard the stop sign when turning right onto the highway. Or the stop sign at the intersection of Lagoon Road and Madeira Park Road, which drivers also often roll through without stopping.
These are all locations where most of the time, nothing will happen if you fail to stop. But collisions don’t happen most of the time, they happen when you least expect it, and it’s those kind of driving habits that cause accidents.
If you’ve ever seen or been involved in a collision where someone was seriously hurt — one that could have been avoided — you know how important it is to follow the rules of the road, to help keep yourself and others safe. Set a good example on our roads, and others are sure to follow.
