I
just finished reading an article titled “Old People Should…” in the
May 2019 edition of the Reader’s Digest. It explained that we could find
out what people ask Google most often by seeing how the search engine
auto filled our queries. The top result
for “old people should” was that they should not drive.
I took the idea one step further and searched on “drivers should.”
The top auto fill was “drivers should be aware that a motorcyclist
may…” Doing the search produced articles about sharing the road with
motorcycles. The main ideas contained in the first page of search
results is that drivers may not see motorcycles, that
more following distance is required and that drivers are responsible
for more often for crashes involving four wheeled vehicles and
motorcycles.
Second place belonged to “drivers should monitor their level of…” The
result here concerned driver fatigue. I expected that commercial drivers
would figure prominently here but the advice applied to drivers of all
ages.
The next one surprised me, “drivers should watch for individuals who are
blind at…” Suggestions here were mixed and ranged from blind spots to
guides for drivers of people with impaired vision.
This made me more curious, so the obvious next search was “motorcyclists should.”
“Motorcyclists should wear bright clothing mainly because…” doing this
reduces the rider’s chances of being involved in a crash.
Choosing and riding in the proper lane position is important.
“Motorcyclists should be aware of safe lane…” also found information
on lane splitting / filtering and advice from TranBC.
Finally, “motorcyclists should make every effort to…” returned to the subject of being visible.
We’re now left with exploring the most popular searches about “pedestrians should.”
First up is the advice that “pedestrians should only cross at an
intersection when…” As you might guess, this reminds pedestrians that
they must follow the signals that apply to them.
“Pedestrians should walk…” teaches everyone that using the sidewalk is
safest and if a sidewalk is not available it is best to walk on the
side of the road facing traffic.
Here in B.C. our Motor Vehicle Act places an onus on drivers not to
collide with pedestrians. “Pedestrians should be given the right of
way…” completes the top three search results.
So, there you have it, the wisdom of Google as it relates to what we are curious about in relation to road safety right now.
Story URL:
https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/miscellaneous/wisdom-google
—
Constable Tim Schewe (Retired)
DriveSmartBC: Where better than average drivers satisfy their curiosity.
Sign up for the weekly newsletter!
