John Ducker: Lessons from a road trip: Drivers need a safety refresher

John Ducker: Lessons from a road trip: Drivers need a safety refresher Driving across the country, including a stretch through the U.S., was like being on a race track where speeders follow too closely.

John Ducker Oct 31, 2024 9:30 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message When you drive too quickly and too close to the next car, no matter the weather conditions, it’s no surprise you might end up in a massive pileup like this one on I-90 in February, 2021, on the Yellowstone Bridge near Lockwood, Montana. RYAN BERRY, THE BILLING GAZETTE VIA AP Listen to this article 00:04:50 Now that we’re home safely, I’ll reflect on a 10,000-kilometre road trip from Victoria to London, Ont. In no particular order.

here are a few of the general thoughts about driving in Canada and the U.S. in 2024.

Speed limits don’t seem to matter anymore. Often we think that speeding is a local problem. This trip proved otherwise.

I like to proceed briskly on long trips and can find myself doing 5 to 8 kms over the limit, especially on long open stretches. Conservatively, I was passed by 90% of the other vehicles on the road, regardless of the speed limit and regardless of the road environment. I could probably count on two hands the number of times I had to pass a vehicle over the 10,000 km journey — not including times when I had to pass semi-trailers on hills.

But whatever the speed limit was: 75 mph in Idaho; 75 mph in North Dakota or; 80 m.