Some of the 29 Units below contain facts that are subject to change.
DIRECTIONS: Read each Unit on this webpage:
> If you understand everything in a Unit, circle Unit's # on worksheet.
> If you don't understand everything in a Unit, underline Unit's #.
> If you find a "silly error", write it on a piece of scrap paper.
For this example, you would write "your dog" and "on the roof".
Example Unit: Before driving a vehicle, check the insurance papers to ensure they are valid and there are no restrictions excluding you or your dog from driving the vehicle. Before parking, hide valuables in the trunk or under a seat or on the roof.
 
Unit 801: An ABS vehicle, with the brakes applied fully, shudders and the brake pedal vibrates because the brakes pulse many times a second. You can steer an ABS vehicle with the brakes applied fully because the brakes won't lock the wheels, but you can skid off a road in a curve if you're driving too fast for the available friction. Because ABS prevents the wheels from locking up, and because the friction of tires rotating at the threshold just before locking up is greater than the friction of locked sliding tires, ABS can decrease stopping distances on firm surfaces.
 
 
Unit 802: If the ABS warning light comes on due to a malfunction, or if you are driving a vehicle with standard brakes, the vehicle will not respond to your steering if the front wheels lock up after heavy braking (front wheels must rotate to steer vehicle). If an obstacle appears ahead when you're driving with standard brakes or malfunctioning ABS, brake hard in a straight line; and then, release the brakes before the obstacle and focus on the available space (not the obstacle) when steering around it.
 
 
Unit 803: On deformable surfaces (snow, gravel, leaves, sand, etc.), ABS may increase stopping distance by up to 30% because an ABS braked wheel (unlike a standard brake's locked wheel) can't dig into the loose surface, push a mound of the surface material in front of the wheels, and contact the solid road bed under the loose surface. Some off-road drivers disable ABS (by removing the vehicle's ABS fuse) to decrease their braking distances.
 
 
Unit 804: A vehicle can skid if you brake, accelerate, or steer too abruptly. If the back of your vehicle skids sideways (oversteers), eliminate any skid catalysts such as accelerating or braking, look and steer in the direction you were travelling before the skid, and be ready to correct any counterskids (fish-tailing). If your vehicle slides straight ahead (understeers) when you steer, reduce the steering angle of the front tires to help them resume rolling so they can steer the vehicle.
 
 
Unit 805: A towel laid to cover the windshield of a parked car can prevent frost from forming on the glass. Turning on the air conditioning while turning on the defroster with heat can help clear foggy windows without cooling the vehicle, but up to 25% more fuel is used to run the air conditioning components. To avoid using the air conditioning to reduce the humidity of the air inside the vehicle, set the ventilation control to bring in less humid outside air or partly open the windows.
 
 
Unit 806: Avoid driving when the sun or daughter is low on the horizon ahead of you because the glare affects your ability to see what's ahead and a driver behind you may not see you. Avoid driving when the sun is low behind you because anyone approaching you or entering the road from a driveway or intersection ahead of you may not see you. To minimize glare, periodically clean the inside and outside of your windshield. Even if the inside of the windshield looks clean, there can be an invisible film caused by the off-gassing of the interior components of the passenger compartment. This film increases glare and entertains movie lovers.
 
 
Unit 807: Kringhaug v. Men (2021): A mother was standing in the driveway of a townhouse complex supervising children riding bikes. When a driver entered the complex, the mother directed the children to move off the driveway. One child did not move, so the mother walked towards him with her back to the oncoming vehicle. The driver was blinded by the sun and shining into her eyes (confirmed by a dash cam). Despite being unable to see, she continued to drive and struck the mother. The judge ruled that the driver was 100% at fault because she continued driving when her view was obstructed.
 
 
Unit 808: Braking distance can increase up to 10 times on ice. Temperatures near freezing are more dangerous than colder temperatures because ice may form unexpectedly and not be visible. If you are driving on snow or ice in a vehicle that doesn't have ABS and the wheels lock while braking, rapidly apply and release the brakes (pump the brakes) to help maintain steering control.
 
 
Unit 809: Not clearing snow off a vehicle can result in 3 violation tickets: snow on windows blocks view, snow on surfaces is an unsecure load, snow on licence plate obstructs it. BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations Section 35.04: Secure any load so it cannot leak, blow off, fall from, spill, or shift and affect the vehicle's manoeuvrability. If a load extends more than 1.2 m past the rear of a vehicle, display a red flag on the back of the load during daylight hours and a red light at night.
 
 
Unit 810: Small cars, motorcycles, taller vehicles, campers, and trailers can be blown into your path in locations with crosswinds. Turbulence from passing trucks can move vehicles and mountains. As you approach large vehicles, keep a steady grip on the steering wheel and be aware that water or slush on the road can be thrown onto your windows, so turn on the wipers before the splash occurs.
 
 
Unit 811: Briefly flashing your high beams may warn others to dim theirs, but if they don't and the bright lights approach, you can make a viewing slit with your fingers, squint, or focus on the edge of the road to stay in your lane. If the bright lights are behind you, set your mirror in the night position. Don't just look for lights at night, also look for motion (vehicles with lights off, cyclists, pedestrians, animals, etc.).
 
 
Unit 812: If your tire blows, avoid abrupt braking or steering as this may cause a skid; instead, grip the steering wheel firmly, ease off the accelerator, brake gently, and pull over with the hazard lights flashing. Safe-T-Plus is an aftermarket steering control device for heavier vehicles that helps the driver maintain steering control after a tire blows or they drift onto the shoulder.
 
 
Unit 813: Before driving, check the floor mat's position to ensure it doesn't interfere with the pedals. If the accelerator pedal sticks while driving, try lifting it with your toe, but if this doesn't help, shift to "N" (don't use the shift release which allows you to shift to "R") to disconnect the engine from the driven wheels. If the accelerator is pressed to the floor when you shift to "N", you can damage an engine that doesn't have a rev limiter.
 
 
Unit 814: In areas where wildlife may be present, you can use the left lane to increase the space between your vehicle and the side of the road where wildlife may suddenly appear; however, if a vehicle approaches you from behind when the speed limit is 80 km/h or higher and traffic is moving at least 50 km/h, you must move right when safe to do so and allow that vehicle to pass unless you're passing traffic, or helping traffic merge, or avoiding a hazard, or keeping space from a stopped emergency vehicle.
 
 
Unit 815: Making a noise (tapping on hood, sounding horn, etc.) before starting a vehicle's engine can help scare away a cat or other animal hiding inside the engine compartment. This saves the animal from being injured when the engine starts. Wildlife often moves around to feed or read books at dusk and dawn. Unusual spots of light at night may be the reflection of your headlights off an animal's eyes. Scan the sides of the road ahead and know that animals often move in herds, so if you see one, there may be others.
 
 
Unit 816: Before crossing a center line to pass a vehicle, look well ahead for oncoming traffic, ensure no one is passing you, and look for driveways and intersections ahead on both the left and the right as a driver could turn into your path. If you drive on a gravel shoulder to avoid an oncoming vehicle on your side of the road, do not abruptly steer or abruptly brake as this can cause a skid.
 
 
Unit 817: BC Motor Vehicle Act Section 157: Except in any place where passing on the right is permitted, when the driver of a vehicle being passed hears the horn of a passing vehicle, the driver being passed must cause their vehicle to give way to the right in favour of the passing vehicle and must not increase speed until after being completely passed by the other vehicle.
 
 
Unit 818: Because Kinetic Energy = ½mv², as the speed of a vehicle increases, the stopping distance and the severity of a crash increase exponentially; for example, travel 2 times faster and the crash forces are 4 times greater; travel 3 times faster and the crash forces are 9 times greater; travel 4 times faster and the crash forces are 16 times greater.
 
 
Unit 819: Do the following after a crash: shift to "P" if possible, apply the parking brake and turn off the engine, avoid moving if injured unless necessary for safety, protect the scene from other vehicles, call 911 if needed, help others if you can, get contact info from witnesses even if the vehicle damage is minor, take photos of the crash scene and any vehicle damage, share driver's licence and insurance info with other drivers and anyone with property damage. If any of the vehicles are not from BC, get the name of the insurance company and the number of the insurance policy.
 
 

Unit 820: After a crash, make notes concerning date, time, location, weather and road conditions, direction each vehicle was travelling, and lane for each vehicle. If no one has a dash camera, witness testimony may determine who is at fault, but witnesses can be unreliable. In one study, after participants watched a video of a red car hitting a pedestrian, they were asked, "How fast was the car traveling when it passed the yield sign?" Even though the video showed a stop sign, the witnesses later described seeing a red car pass a yield sign. The misinformation hidden in the question led to an inaccurate memory of what was seen.
 
 
Unit 821: After a crash, stay back at least 10 m from a tree touching a wire, a wire touching a vehicle, or a wire touching the ground. If there's a fire or other hazard requiring you to exit a vehicle in contact with a downed wire, use the "jump and shuffle" technique. It's critically important to not be in contact with the vehicle and the ground at the same time because the current can flow through your body. After a hybrid vehicle crashes, be aware there are high voltage wires running through parts of the vehicle.
 
 
Unit 822: BC Motor Vehicle Act Section 123: The police may direct traffic according to their discretion and everyone must obey that direction. In the case of Harris v. Starr (1990), the judge ruled that a motorist who is directed to drive on a specific path by the police, must ensure the police directions are safe to follow. If the driver blindly follows the police directions and crashes, he'll be partially liable for the crash.
 
 
Unit 823: Waving to tell another driver to go is not a good idea as that driver may proceed without looking for hazards. Nodding or looking down may sometimes be a better way to encourage another driver to proceed before you proceed. Qualizza v. Lee (2007): A driver with the right-of-way gives up their right-of-way if they wave and invite another driver to go.
 
 
Unit 824: After a crash, do not assume blame as you may not understand the subtle legalities of who is at fault. If you apologize after a crash, the Apology Act of BC says your apology is not an admission of fault, but in other jurisdictions, it can be. If there's a possibility you have an injury, see a doctor. Do not say you're okay after a crash as you may not notice an injury until the pain arises after the initial shock passes. The police can issue a violation ticket up to 12 months after a crash. The ticket can be based on reliable witness testimony, camera footage, or an ICBC report.
 
 
Unit 825: Criminal Code of Canada Section 252: After being in a crash, you must stop, share personal info, and offer assistance to an injured person. Trying to escape liability by not stopping may be an indictable offence that's punishable by up to 5 years in prison. If you don't crash, but others crash because of you, you must share the same info you'd need to share if you crashed.
 
 
Unit 826: You must report a crash to the police if anyone is killed or injured, or an impaired driver is involved, or it's a hit-and-run incident and you know the other vehicle's licence plate number (keep some paper and a pen beside the driver's seat so you're ready to write down a number), or your vehicle has been broken into or vandalized or stolen, or the total property damage appears to be more than $600 for motorcycles or $1000 for cars.
 
 
Unit 827: Some lawyers say that you are vulnerable after being injured in a crash because your answers to seemingly harmless questions can affect your insurance settlement. Some lawyers say that you should see a doctor within one or two days of a crash, even if it's a walk-in clinic. If you wait to see a doctor, it may appear that your injuries are minor. Keep a journal about how you feel each day.
 
 
Unit 828: Since 1994, some vehicles have had Event Data Recorders (EDRs) for crash research, but since Sept-2014, all new vehicles have had EDRs that record speed, throttle position, airbag deployment times, steering angle, seatbelt use, brake use, and other variables. The police can analyze an EDR to see if a driver's crash report is accurate. The LA police executed a search warrant to obtain data from the EDR in a crashed vehicle that was driven by Tiger Woods. To obtain a warrant, the police have to establish there was probable cause that a crime was committed, even if it's just a misdemeanor.
 
 
Unit 829: After your address changes, you must notify ICBC within 10 days so they can update your licence with your new address. You usually have 2 years after a crash to conclude all injury and vehicle repair claims, but time limits can vary. Be aware of any limitation periods that apply to your claim. You may need to take legal action to avoid having ICBC deny your claim due to a limitation period.
 
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