OHTA.ca

I'm not to sure about this, but every-time we get our first snow fall I like to go out and test my car in an empty parking lot to get used to handling it on snow and ice. I won't lie, but it's also fun, but I feel it leaves me more aware of how my car is going to handle on snow/ice.

If a cop see's me doing this, am I at risk of a 'stunting' charge? There's never any other cars/people around and my speed is well below 30kph.

Looking through the HTA I found a few things that make me ensure what to do if a cop has questions:

1) The "highway" definition "common and public highway, street, avenue, parkway, driveway, square, place, bridge, viaduct or trestle, any part of which is intended for or used by the general public for the passage of vehicles and includes the area between the lateral property lines thereof; ("voie publique")" - if a parking lot has only one entrance/exit, then I would argue it can't be used for 'passage of vehicles' as you can't get anywhere?, and therefore the HTA doesn't apply?

2) Under stunting, particularly 'doughnut' it says "Driving a motor vehicle in a manner that indicates an intention to spin it or cause it to circle, without maintaining control over it" - so as long as I'm in a "controlled" skid/slide it's not stunting?

3) Also under stunting we have "Driving a motor vehicle in a manner that indicates an intention to cause some or all of its tires to lose traction with the surface of the highway while turning." - I guess the key here is intent, if you're turning on snow/ice and the car skids how can anyone prove that it was intentional?

Anyone have any thoughts/ideas on this?

mechoption wrote:I'm not to sure about this, but every-time we get our first snow fall I like to go out and test my car in an empty parking lot to get used to handling it on snow and ice. I won't lie, but it's also fun, but I feel it leaves me more aware of how my car is going to handle on snow/ice.

If a cop see's me doing this, am I at risk of a 'stunting' charge? There's never any other cars/people around and my speed is well below 30kph.

Looking through the HTA I found a few things that make me ensure what to do if a cop has questions:

1) The "highway" definition "common and public highway, street, avenue, parkway, driveway, square, place, bridge, viaduct or trestle, any part of which is intended for or used by the general public for the passage of vehicles and includes the area between the lateral property lines thereof; ("voie publique")" - if a parking lot has only one entrance/exit, then I would argue it can't be used for 'passage of vehicles' as you can't get anywhere?, and therefore the HTA doesn't apply?

2) Under stunting, particularly 'doughnut' it says "Driving a motor vehicle in a manner that indicates an intention to spin it or cause it to circle, without maintaining control over it" - so as long as I'm in a "controlled" skid/slide it's not stunting?

3) Also under stunting we have "Driving a motor vehicle in a manner that indicates an intention to cause some or all of its tires to lose traction with the surface of the highway while turning." - I guess the key here is intent, if you're turning on snow/ice and the car skids how can anyone prove that it was intentional?

Anyone have any thoughts/ideas on this?

Around 30 years ago that is how I learned to control slippage in snow.(gravel as well)

I would worry about 1:safety.

2:any complaints that may come up.

If a cop saw you and saw how safe you were practicing they would check you out

and tell you to move on.

Cheers

Viper1

Criminal Code offence of "Dangerous Driving" could apply in the parking lot.

guess the key here is intent, if you're turning on snow/ice and the car skids how can anyone prove that it was intentional

A unintentional driver would take their foot off the gas, vehicle momentum would slow down and the driver could regain control.

hwybear wrote:Criminal Code offence of "Dangerous Driving" could apply in the parking lot.

guess the key here is intent, if you're turning on snow/ice and the car skids how can anyone prove that it was intentional

A unintentional driver would take their foot off the gas, vehicle momentum would slow down and the driver could regain control.

But that's the whole point, I'm practicing regaining control after unintentionally skidding. I guess it would make for an interesting court case? Eitherway, I've since found a nice open space at the end of an old back-country road which definitlely isn't any kind of parking lot or HTA place.

mechoption wrote:

But that's the whole point, I'm practicing regaining control after unintentionally skidding. I guess it would make for an interesting court case?[/qoute]

If its more than once, it is no longer unintentional action and is deliberate and intentional.

Eitherway, I've since found a nice open space at the end of an old back-country road which definitlely isn't any kind of parking lot or HTA place.

In the end if your no where near other vehicle, buildings, hydro poles, people, deep ditches, think you would be ok learning you car. Soon as something happens (hit something, someone or go into ditch) it changes the whole aspect.

You could walk into your local donut shop, I mean police station and quietly ask an available officer what you would like to do and where you would like to do it. If the officer beats you about the head and tiraids on about "Back in my day......."..... I would think twice.