Speed Kills

Did you know that human error accounts for 90% of all accidents?

Yes, 90% of accidents are the fault of riders and drivers, which also means that they can be prevented. With that in mind, what are some of the basic reasons and common mistakes that lead to this all too common and ever increasing statistic.

A deadly impact, and certainly fatal for anyone in the back seat.

I recently posted about a bad weekend full of motorcycle accidents. That was followed by another post speculating possible contributing factors of one fatal accident in particular and some defensive driving tips for drivers to help avoid the situation.

One of those posts dealt with how a driver sets up to make a left hand turn, emphasizing the need to keep the wheels of a vehicle pointed straight ahead to avoid being pushed into opposing traffic should the vehicle be rear ended.

However, this post deals with another factor that is typically mentioned when talking about accidents and that involves speed. Everyone has heard the term "Speed Kills' but may not be familiar with the actual science behind why it is so deadly.

Obviously, any large mass hurtling down the highway with only a few inches of rubber contacting the road makes for a deadly weapon should it come into contact with another mass, and increased speed means lessening of vehicle maneuverability and handling ability.

Another factor is the vehicles stopping distance, exponentially compounded for every kmph added.

Let's take an average mid-sized car, with good tires and properly maintained brakes, travelling on a clean, dry paved road at 30 kmph, the speed limit in a playground zone or school zone. 

• average reaction time for a driver just to recognize the need to stop and begin applying the brakes equals 3/4 of a second so at 30 kmph the vehicle will travel 6 metres in that reaction time.


• add another 10 metres to come to a full stop, equalling a total of 16 metres, or 4 full car lengths  (fairly reasonable and certainly the reason the speed limit is 30 kmph in locations where children with unpredictable behaviour may congregate)

Now, let's take that same vehicle and increase the speed just 20 kmph, which is the average urban speed limit of 50 kmph. 

• average reaction time for a driver just to recognize the need to stop and begin applying the brakes equals 3/4 of a second, so at 50 kmph the vehicle will travel 10 metres, or an extra 4 metres than the previous scenario


• actual stopping distance now has increased from 10 metres to 26 metres, for a total stopping distance of 36 metres, or 8 car lengths ( double the stopping distance at 30 kmph)

The last scenario could still be considered tolerable, but think about that compounding speed factor and apply it to a situation where you'e out on the highway with a speed limit of 100 kmph.

Of course, in my experience that usually means everybody is going way faster, but lets say the driver is a rare, speed limit respecting, law abiding citizen who's just cruising along, admiring all the motorcycles going by in the opposite direction.

After the momentary distraction, they return their focus to the road in front of them and suddenly realize there is a vehicle stopped on the road, waiting to make a left hand turn only 80 metres away.

By the time the foot hits the brake pedal, the car has already travelled 20 metres, or half the distance between the vehicles. and, at 100 kmph, the braking distance would require another 101 metres to stop, or 121 metres in total ( the length of a football field) 

Of course, the math means not enough distance to stop and the force of that vehicle, still travelling at approximately 60 kmph, could result in a deadly impact.

As this discussion originally talked about an accident involving a vehicle waiting to turn left on a highway, consider that if the impacted vehicle happens to have his wheels partially turned and gets shoved out into the opposing lane and is hit by the high speed traffic going the other way, or worse yet, the motorcycles who were cruising along in a group, the results are going to be horrendous.

I'm not saying this is what happened in the motorcycle accident that was mentioned before, but certainly you can see how it could have set up in this manner.

The whole point is that drivers need to always vigilant and prepared for arising situations, and increasingly so as the speed of their vehicle increases. Then factor in things like operating a larger vehicle or less than ideal road conditions

And if you do feel the need to be faster than everyone else, at least be a bit reasonable. I travel Highway 2 frequently and the number of vehicles that go roaring past me at 140 kmph or more is unreal. Just imagine the stopping distances at those speeds!

Let's be safe out there and do our part to help keep others safe too.

Left Hand Turns

 After hearing the report on a recent motorcycle accident that claimed one life and seriously injured several others, I wrote a post "Deadly Roads" and mentioned defensive driving, which is "driving to prevent accidents despite the action or inaction of other drivers".  

If your wheels are pointed straight ahead and you're struck from behind, you'll travel straight ahead. 

I am not sure of the exact cause of the aforementioned accident other than a vehicle rear-ended a truck which was stopped on the road, waiting to turn left across the opposing lane.

It made me think of one of the basics of  Drivers' Education and the Drivers' Handbook, in regard to wheel position while waiting to turn, as suggested in the above diagram.

Certainly, turning your wheels is an easy mistake to make, particularly when the roads are so busy and you may only have seconds to make that turn. And many people do sit there, waiting for that chance to go,  with their wheels partially or fully turned in the direction they intend to travel.

Seems innocent enough until you get hit from behind and go shooting out into the opposing lane and oncoming traffic.

A vehicle waiting to turn which has its' wheels turned in that direction will travel that way if struck from behind.

I have no idea if this was the scenario and the cause of the accident the other day, after the vehicle rear-ended the other, but it does give a reason to consider the driving skill and tactic of keeping those wheels pointed straight ahead to avoid possible issues if struck from behind.

Regardless of who is in the right or wrong, it's always easiest and safest to avoid the risk or hazard and its' potentially deadly consequences by driving defensively, looking out for one another and ensuring everyone gets home safely.

Deadly Roads

Hearing about a motorcycle accident always hits home a little harder when you're a rider yourself, and even more so when you have friends who ride and when you work in an industry that is related to motorcycles and riders. 

Speed only compounds the negative results of a motorcycle accident

Having spent the past weekend at the Calgary Folk Festival and being pretty laid back, I did not read the paper or listen to or watch the news of any kind until Monday evening, where there was a story about yet another deadly motorcycle accident, just one of many that occurred on the weekend.

Looking into the last story, a truck slammed into the back of another truck that had stopped or slowed down for some reason, perhaps waiting to turn left across the opposing lane. The impact of the rear end accident sent the truck into the oncoming lane, striking a group of riders who were travelling together in the opposite direction. In a split second, 5 bikes are wiped out and one rider died on the scene, with others seriously injured, and transported to hospital in life threatening condition.

Of course, I don't know all the facts, why the vehicle hit the other, how fast anyone was going, why the truck ended up in the opposing lane, or anything else about the cause, but a mistake was made, maybe by more than one person, and people on motorcycles died as a result.

There's always the chance that the accident has happened to someone you know and when a motorcycle is involved, the rider always loses.

Head on typically results in a fatality

Looking back on the too many fatalities and accidents from the weekend, and the others that have occurred over the Summer so far, there are just as many reasons for accidents on bikes as there are days in the month. Unfortunately, too many have the tag line "speed and alcohol were factors", which means totally preventable in my mind.

"Speed and Alcohol" are factors which just compound what is already a potentially dangerous scenario.

There is never a happy ending to an accident involving a motorcycle

I once worked for a company that issued their own internal licences, had their own training and enforcement officers, and had a demerit system based on  both 'fault' and 'prevention'. A "preventable accident" was defined by the concept of defensive driving, whereby the operator of a vehicle drives to prevent accidents despite the action or inaction of other drivers.

If a driver/operator was involved in an accident deemed preventable, demerits were issued and a licence could be suspended. In fact, their demerit system was twice as stringent as the Provincial standard and a suspension could occur with just 6 demerits. Involvement in two accidents within a 3 year span could mean loss of licence, thereby a demotion, or worse, dismissal.

Once again, the motorcyclist loses.

I'm not saying any of the aforementioned motorcyclists involved in their respective accidents were at fault, nor that the accidents were even preventable, since I do not know that facts. But I am saying that we all need to do our part to be drive defensively, watch out for each other when on the road, and avoid the carnage that is far too common and seems to be getting worse and worse with each passing year.

Strength Of Character!

A friend sent this to me a while back and I've kept it on file ever since. The circumstances within the story truly amaze me as a testament to the human spirit. The story is about of Paul Smith, born in Oregon in 1921 with a severe case of Spastic Cerebral Palsy. To survive as he did, was one thing but to develop his mind as he did is a complete other story, particularly since he had limited mobility, could not speak, and never actually had a formal education .

Aside from being a master chess player, Paul also expressed his creative mind in the only way possible for him considering his handicaps. Unable to hold a pen or paintbrush, Paul learned how to use a typewriter to create some pretty amazing works of art, with one hand steadying the other as he struck the keys. You can scroll through the following samples of his artwork and may find it hard to believe they were all done using just the symbols above the numbers of an old school typewriter. His technique developed tot eh point where his artwork resembles pencil or chalk drawings. 

And, despite the obvious difficulties he faced, Paul also managed to live a long time too, dying at the age of 88. truly an amazing and special person, defying the odds and finding his calling even with such handicaps.

Kayak: Origami Style

Since I just did a post about my sea kayaking adventure out of Tofino, B.C., it was of great interest to me to get this link sent to me by my brother. Essentially, an Origami kayak made by Oru Kayak. It's small and portable when collapsed, and it easily assembled when needed, apparently taking all of 30 minutes to put together from start to finish. 

Based on my latest kayaking experience,it would seem prudent to not totally trust this little boat on the open ocean, fully laden, but it sure would be interesting to give it a try in less demanding and critical conditions. It seems Undercurrents in Calgary sells them, along with a whole lot of other cool boats, boards and gear. 

At just over 12 kg, the boat is easily carried in it's own rucksack

Out of the bag

A few easy steps to flip and clip

3.5 m long and .5 m wide

Looks simple and easy enough to assemble

Obviously it is 'skirt ready'.

Sea Kayaking

I took off for a week and headed out to Vancouver Island, specifically up to Ucluelet and Tofino to do some sea kayaking. It's a beautiful part of the world and subsequently it can get really busy there in the Summer. Tourist season is going full swing and though it was great to hit some of Tofino's finest restaurants, we were glad to pack up our kayaks and head out to more remote locations.
And, pack our kayaks we did!! We had a lot of stuff and it was hard to believe we were going to be able to stow it all in our boats, but indeed we did, albeit with a little purging of some non-essentials. We were fully laden and all the boats were sitting pretty low in the water, which may have ultimately been our saving grace. The paddling started out well enough with fairly smooth waters, considering we were on the ocean. There's always a fair bit of boat traffic in the Tofino harbour and typically you have at least two or three float planes take off over your heads when you're out in the Sound.
Our destination was the north end of Vargas Island, at 5800 hectares a relatively bigger island in the group of islands in and around Clayoquot Sound. Since some of our fellow paddlers had been on a similar trip to this spot in previous years, we made a decision to paddle the west side of the island instead of the inner passage.
Of course, that did mean wide open ocean and the conditions you should expect, with consideration to have quickly those conditions can change. Needless to say, we came across some pretty challenging sections, where we had 2 metre swells, white cap waves and 25 kmph headwinds with which to contend. Laden with a ton of gear and supplies meant a harder paddle too, but with our boats so low in the water the extra weight made us a bit more stable. We muscled our way along and ultimately made a crazy surf landing on a remote beach to set up our camp.
The idea was to have a base camp and do some day trips from there, exploring some of the smaller islands around Vargas. Of course, Vargas Island is big enough to offer some interesting hikes as well, and we did go check out a few trails and some other beaches.
Vargas supports a fair bit of wildlife including cougars and a wolf pack. The latter has been quite active lately, in regard to kayakers, strictly to do with some people not taking proper 'back country camping' precautions with their food supplies. Leaving food stowed in kayak compartments has attracted the wolves, who have learned how to chew through straps and hatch covers and get at an easy meal. Of course, this habituation has meant that human - wolf encounters are increasing and the unfortunate outcome will likely mean the Island will be closed to paddlers or, worse yet, the wolf pack will be destroyed.
We set up our camp and then followed a short trail into the surrounding forest to set up a food cache, where we slung a rope line and suspended everything edible up in the tree branches. Fortunately, no wolf encounters for us, though we all had hoped to see the critters (from a distance) We spent 4 days hanging out, doing day trips in the kayaks, landing on one to explore and doing some hikes on Vargas itself. We had some wind and rain but our camp was sheltered in a little cove and we put up some tarps by the cook stoves and the fire pit, so we were well protected. When the weather cleared, we had some beach time and that night there was a stunning sunset that we watched until dark.
Our trip back to Tofino was far less dramatic, since we took the inner passage and wrapped up our trip by mid afternoon. Most of the paddling crew had to bolt for the ferry and head back to the mainland but 3 of us stuck around town for an extra day and did some exploring. What a fantastic trip it was and I am already planning for next year!

Beautiful blue skies and relatively calm ocean greeted us on our arrival to Tofino

On day one we stayed at an ocean side place and watched as the weather make a dramatic change.

We studied the charts in preparation for the next day's adventure

Departure day proved to be sunny and warm, but how to pack all this gear into these few, tiny kayaks? 

Despite some really rough ocean and 25 km headwinds, we made it to our destination, albeit at the wrong end of the beach.

Wet, chilly, and hungry, but nothing a nice fire and some grilled steaks couldn't cure.

A beautiful sunset to end the day

We built our camp behind this hill, in a little sandy cove created by some mad Winter storm

Hail Protectors And Blankets

After posting about life in 'Hailstorm Alley" and having the Alberta Emergency Alert app to be forewarned about imminent danger, like hail, I looked into ways to protect a vehicle from hail. These devices are designed to be toted around in the trunk or back seat and can be pulled out and used when on the road, or if you don't have access to a garage to store your rig.

Yes, if you have proper insurance coverage, hail damage would be covered, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure for sure. I, myself, have had the unfortunate experience of being caught in a hailstorm and it was covered with no issues, but what an inconvenience. Running to get estimates and making appointments for repairs, usually weeks after the fact since severe hailstorms tend to create major catastrophes with many victims. In my case, the damage was so extensive and parts so hard to come by that my vehicle was in the shop for 2 months. And sure, the insurance company provided a loaner vehicle, part of my excellent coverage, but it wasn't my vehicle of choice and I really wanted my own truck back.

Anyway, here's a selection of hail protection devices for everything from a small car up to an R.V., and if you're interested it is certainly easy enough to search on the internet.

This seems massive but it apparently fold up into quite a small package.

This is more like a quilted blanket

Better than nothing, but probably unreliable

This one is like a pop up tent

Bubble wrap for your car

Another quilted blanket style cover

A blanket designed for small R.V.'s and camper vans

This is a very large, multi-car cover built by an auto dealership in Calgary this year.

Life In "Hailstorm Alley"

Yes, when you live in my part of Alberta, you live in "Hailstorm Alley". More hail falls in the area between Red Deer and Claresholm Alberta than anywhere else in the world. It occurs so often that many studies have been done, and still are being done here, particularly in the past 20 years. 

Hail in this area is also a huge factor for the insurance industry and a major contributor to approximately $5 billion in claims over the past 5 years. With damage to roofs, cars, trees and crops, it sure adds up quickly. Those numbers also mean it's worth while to the insurance industry to have a 'hail mitigation' team, with constant weather monitoring and a fleet of aircraft ready to fly into the most threatening of storms in order to 'seed' the clouds and prevent large hail from forming. 

Cost of the program runs $3 million a year but even if the process only reduces the total damage by a conservative 20%, you can see savings of $20 million and a lot less hassle for everyone involved. 

Of course, saving money on this type of claim isn't just for the benefit of the insurance industry. Keeping claims down is the key to keeping premiums down. The losses of the few involved in a claim will eventually have to be paid out from the funds of the many contributors, and as long as there is balance between the two, the cost to contributors will remain stable. 

For the hailstorm that hit my place last night, I got warned by my Alberta Emergency Alert app.,  though further investigation showed the threat as minor hail. That proved to be correct and there was no damage to anything other than a few shredded plants and leaves on the trees. Oh yeah, and a big mess of that debris to rake up when things dry out :0

Check out my next post about hail protection covers for vehicles, for those that don't have a garage or may be away from home.

This was a minor little blast with pea sized hail and the worst damage being a few shredded plants.

Weather and Warnings

Four tornadoes in as many days makes a person feel like they need to be a bit more aware of what's going on around them, especially when you're away and not necessarily listening to the radio or watching t.v.. In our case, we're tuned in with the Alberta Emergency Alert app, which sends out notifications relating to floods, wildfires, tornadoes and road closures due to accidents or other such incidents. It works like a charm and it's free, so why wouldn't you want it on your phone. 

I can tell you that, thanks to the app, we knew there was some foul weather brewing well before it came along and we were watching the sky. Check out a few of the photos taken at our camp while we were there over the Canada Day long weekend and you'll see why we were a bit wary. If you can have an app that will warn you and help you avoid issues, then why not, especially when it costs nothing.

This weird cloud formation went by to the west of us and possibly had something to do with the tornado that was reported

It was really dark from heavy black clouds overhead, yet this big white cloud rolled by to the east, all lit up by the sun.

Threatening clouds all around

Look for the app with the red lightning bolt icon!