In these cases the officer continues on with the maneuver but radios ahead for another officer to pull the scofflaw over, Ramsey said.
Speeding ahead of round robins not only puts a driver in danger of an obstacle ahead, he said, but also risks the safety of the officer who's slowing down traffic. Submit your questions about crime, safety and criminal justice to Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at or nick.
On Twitter nrahaim. CrimeBeat: Why do police swerve across multiple lanes to slow down traffic? While it may seem random, it's always used to address a traffic issue ahead. Unfortunately, this leads to unsafe situations between drivers and traffic patrol officers. They can occur naturally, or manually through the use of highway patrol officers.
Usually they are performed by highway patrol in order to create a less hazardous driving environment. Essentially, a traffic break is the creation of traffic separation by a traffic patrol officer slowly swerving back and forth across all lanes of a highway, not allowing other vehicles to pass.
Traffic breaks are typically created in order to clear dangerous areas from traffic. They are a very rare occurrence however, and are only performed if absolutely necessary. If an accident occurs on a highway, there will likely be debris on the road. To clear this debris, traffic breaks alleviate vehicles from endangering traffic patrol officers, or whoever is in charge of clearing the wreckage site. Sometimes a traffic break can be used to allow a stalling vehicle to safely shift over to the shoulder of the highway.
I flip the front-facing flood lights on, swivel spot light and high-beams on. I pull in about a car-length behind the Nissan, but slightly offset to the left to provide me some protection from other cars approaching from the rear, pushing on the brake, forward motion stopping and throwing it into park, turning the wheel hard left and opening the door and getting out, out, out.
Coffin exited, I take a breath. I can easily move, access my weapons, and see what is going at the Nissan. If another car hits us from behind, my left-turned wheels will hopefully direct my car away from me. I aim my spotlight from the outside of my car. Even during the day the bright lights provide some concealment from an occupant in the Nissan who might be trying to see where I am, planning an attack or escape.
At night they are blinding. I close my door softly. Why give the occupant a hint that I'm coming? I approach the Nissan steadily but carefully, my attention torn between the unknown person I'm approaching and a car I hear approaching from behind-hopefully, the passing driver will give us plenty of space.
I pull up on the Nissan's trunk as I pass, to be sure that it is latched and that nobody will pop out of it behind me. I glance in the left rear window-definitely nobody in the back seat. I stop just behind the pillar that separates the two side windows. The driver already has his window down, and thankfully, thoughtfully, has both his hands on the steering wheel.
The reason I stopped you is because you ran a stop sign a few blocks back. May I see your driver's license and proof of insurance? He says sure and leans over and dives into his glove box with both hands. A perfect place to hide a weapon, this immediately puts me on guard, but many people do this, so it isn't completely out of the ordinary, and I haven't noticed anything else unusual inside his car or by the way he greeted me. I'm dialing back my threat meter and decide not to say anything about it.
Some drivers tell me that their insurance card is in the glove box before getting it, which always makes me feel good that the driver is sensitive to my safety concerns.
He finds the documents and hands them to me. As I take them I'm careful not to reach into his car, as I don't want him to grab me or trap my hand by rolling up the window. I ask him to please stay in his car while I check his license--that way he's contained, and if he gets out for some reason, I get the warning of his door opening. I take the documents back to my car, glancing back at the Nissan every few steps as I return, just to keep an eye on him.
I sit down in my seat, but keep my door slightly open with one leg out. I use my computer to run the plate on the car and see that it belongs to the driver. Stimulants are never a substitute for sleep. Drinks containing caffeine can help you feel more alert but, if you are sleep deprived, the effects wear off quickly. The same is true of turning up the volume of your radio or CD player and opening the window.
You cannot trick your body into staying awake; you need to sleep. Remember, the only safe driver is a well-rested, alert driver. Be extra careful when driving through construction zones and areas where people are working on or near the road. Often, lower speed limits are posted to increase worker safety and reflect increased road hazards, such as construction vehicles in the area, uneven or gravel surfaces, narrowed lanes and so on.
In the construction zone, drive carefully and adjust your driving to suit the conditions, do not change lanes, be ready for sudden stops and watch for workers and related construction vehicles and equipment on the road. Other types of workers and vehicles may also be present on the road and pose a hazard, such as roadside assistance and disable vehicles, surveyors, road maintenance or utility workers.
Always slow down and pass with caution to prevent a collision. If safe to do so, move over a lane to increase the space between your vehicle and the hazard.
Traffic-control workers direct vehicle traffic in work zones and prevent conflicts between construction activity and traffic. Whether you are driving during the day or at night, watch for traffic-control people and follow their instructions.
Treat people working on roads with respect, and be patient if traffic is delayed. If your lane is blocked and no one is directing traffic, yield to the driver coming from the opposite direction. When the way is clear, move slowly and carefully around the obstacle. Recent changes to the Highway Traffic Act have resulted in doubled fines for speeding in a construction zone when workers are present.
Crashes involving animals mainly moose and deer are a growing problem. This represents an increase of 43 per cent over a year period. Many of these collisions go unreported.
You may encounter domestic, farm or wild animals on the road anywhere in Ontario. Scan the road ahead from shoulder to shoulder. If you see an animal on or near the road, slow down and pass carefully as they may suddenly bolt onto the road.
Many areas of the province have animal crossing signs which warn drivers of the danger of large animals such as moose, deer or cattle crossing the road. Be cautious when you see these signs, especially during dusk-to-dawn hours when wild animals are most active. Driving is a job that requires your full attention every time you get behind the wheel, even if your vehicle has driver-assistance features. Any secondary activity will detract from your ability to drive properly and safely.
You must reduce distractions and focus on your driving. Careless driving is a serious offence. Police can charge drivers with careless driving if they do not pay full attention to their driving. Remember to focus on your driving at all times. A split-second distraction behind the wheel can result in injury or even death. Even if your vehicle has driver-assistance features, you can be charged with distracted, careless or dangerous driving. You are still expected to be in care and control of your vehicle, which means you must be constantly monitoring your environment and able to take over immediate control of the vehicle.
Make it a habit to pull over and park to use your cell phone, or have a passenger take the call or let it go to voice mail. If you really need to use a cell phone when driving, you must use it hands-free. Police can charge drivers with careless driving or even dangerous driving a criminal offence if they do not pay full attention to the driving task. Emergency vehicles — police, fire, ambulance and special public-utility vehicles — are easily identified through their use of flashing red or blue lights, a siren or bell, or alternating flashes of white light from their headlamp high beams.
Also, be aware that police, fire and ambulance services use many different types of vehicles, such as bicycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, buses and trucks. When an emergency vehicle is approaching your vehicle from any direction with its flashing red or red and blue lights, or siren or bell sounding, you are required to bring your vehicle to an immediate stop.
When bringing your vehicle to a stop, you are required to bring your vehicle as near as is practical to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. When on a one-way road or divided highway having more than two lanes of traffic, move to the closest curb or edge of the roadway. Do not move onto or stop on the shoulder of the roadway, as emergency vehicles may be travelling along it. Use extreme caution when stopping your vehicle because other drivers may not yet be aware of or are already reacting to the approaching emergency vehicle.
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