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ICBC reveals top 10 acts of courtesy shared by B.C. drivers

New campaign aims to bring driver courtesy back

August 17, 2011 - More than 6,700 B.C. drivers have already shared their personal stories of driver courtesy for a chance to win a 2012 Fiat 500 as part of ICBC's new campaign, which aims to bring courtesy back to B.C. roads.

A recent Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of ICBC revealed that half of those surveyed said that drivers in their community are less courteous on the road than they were five years ago. When asked which signs of driver discourtesy they've experienced most in the last three months by other drivers, signalling late or not at all was number one (82 per cent), followed by tailgating (73 per cent), being prevented from merging (63 per cent), getting cut off (48 per cent) and getting honked at in anger (26 per cent).

ICBC is designating today, and every Wednesday, as "Wave Wednesday" where drivers are encouraged to be extra courteous and to wave at drivers who show extra courtesy too.

"Discourteous and careless driving can trigger some very heated emotions and impair a driver's ability to concentrate and react, increasing their risk of crashing," said Shirley Bond, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. "ICBC's campaign is designed to encourage all of us to think about our own driving behaviours and find ways to change those habits that can lead to crashes and injuries."

"Driver courtesy is contagious," said Fiona Temple, ICBC's director of road safety. "Take a moment to be courteous to another driver: let someone merge in front of you, signal early if you're changing lanes or increase your following distance. These small acts of courtesy will go a long way in creating a safer and more enjoyable driving environment for everyone."

Here are the top 10 acts of courtesy shared by B.C. drivers so far:

1. Curtis from Nanaimo: Stopped to let a little girl cross the road. She waved and yelled "Thank you Mister!" Now she will do it when she learns to drive. PASS IT ON!
2. Norman from Prince George: I just let a guy go ahead of me at the turn into Tim Hortons. I got a wave and a free coffee. It was a good day:).
3. Jessica from Victoria: A young boy was learning to parallel park and looked frustrated. I waited and gave him plenty of room and after a few tries he got in and both him and his dad waved!
4. Sabrina from Surrey: A duck family was crossing the road, stopping me and the guy going the opposite direction. The guy gave me a big wave, I waved back, then the duck (seriously) waved!
5. Tracey from Courtenay: I was following a motorcycle and the driver waved his left hand down low to let me know he wanted more space. I waved to acknowledge, slowed, & he gave a thumbs up.
6. Deane from Salmon Arm: I let a lady in and she gave me a wave. The delay as a result of this had me get to a great parking spot as the people were just leaving. Good Karma!
7. Darryl from Oliver: While riding my bike on highway 97 near Oliver, a driver waited behind sharing the road through a construction area. That definitely deserved a thankful wave.
8. J. Hobbs from Salt Spring Island: Driving along a narrow winding road, I noticed the oncoming driver was waving. I slowed, continued around the corner and was able to stop for a deer and her newborns.
9. Roxanne from Kamloops: Another driver paused long enough for me to merge into a busy street where there was no traffic light. It reminds me of the times when all drivers were courteous.
10. Kelly from Vancouver: An SUV was stuck behind a barricade waiting patiently to be allowed back into traffic. I took the extra 4 seconds to allow him to merge in; he gave me the wave!

Visit icbcdrivesmart.caexternal link to enter the contest and get a chance to win a 2012 Fiat 500. You can also view ICBC's new TV ads for the campaign and read the latest entries from B.C. drivers on the "Wave Wall".

About ICBC

ICBC serves 3.2 million customers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. ICBC licenses and insures drivers and vehicles across the province through its service centres, plus a network of more than 900 independent brokers and government agent offices. Claims customers are served through local offices and an award-winning Dial-a-Claim call centre. ICBC's road safety investments help create safer roads, lead to fewer crashes, and help keep rates stable. To find out more, visit icbc.com.