Sharing the road and winter driving in Nunavut

By the end of this topic you can

• You can give pedestrians and cyclists the space and priority the law requires.
• You can predict where ATVs and snowmobiles may appear.
• You can react correctly to school buses, emergency vehicles and snowplows.
• You can prepare your vehicle and yourself for Arctic winter driving.

What you need to know and understand

• You must stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and never pass a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian.
• Stop for a school bus with flashing lights from either direction.
• Snowplows use flashing blue lights and must be given the right of way; pass them only with great care.
• Yield to emergency vehicles by pulling to the right edge and stopping.
• Keep at least a two-second gap, and three seconds or more on poor surfaces.
• In Iqaluit, ATVs and snowmobiles on roads must be registered and insured, and ATV riders must wear helmets.

People on foot and on bikes

Pedestrians often walk on the road where there are no sidewalks, and children may dart out near schools and playgrounds. Slow down below the limit in these areas. Yield to anyone with a white cane or guide dog. Cyclists are easy to miss and can be pushed off line by wind or loose gravel, so give them plenty of room and check mirrors and blind spots before turning.

ATVs, snowmobiles and bigger vehicles

ATVs and snowmobiles are part of daily life in most communities. Expect them near trail crossings and on the right edge of the road, sometimes towing sleds that swing wide. Each community can set its own bylaws for them; in Iqaluit, machines used on roads need registration and insurance, and riders of ATVs must wear helmets; check the city for any exceptions. Trucks, water and sewage vehicles and snowplows need more room to stop and turn. Snowplows show flashing blue lights and have the right of way; often there is poor visibility around them.

Winter and Arctic conditions

1. Prepare the vehicle: battery, block heater, wipers, defroster, winter tires.
2. Carry a kit: scraper and brush, booster cables, shovel, tow strap, sand or traction mat, flashlight and warm clothing.
3. Clear all windows, mirrors and lights of snow and frost before every trip.
4. Start slowly, test your grip, and begin slowing for stops far earlier than on dry roads.
5. Avoid travel in a blizzard; if you must go, tell someone your route and arrival time.
6. Never run the engine in a closed garage, and check the exhaust for leaks because of carbon monoxide.

Animals and low light

Dogs and wildlife can step onto the road without warning. Slow down when you see an animal, brake without causing a problem for vehicles behind, and only steer around it if you stay in control and the way is clear. Use high beams where it is safe, and dim them within 300 metres of an oncoming vehicle.

Common mistakes

• Passing a car that has stopped for a pedestrian. It is both dangerous and illegal.
• Following a snowplow too closely or passing it in its snow cloud.
• Driving away with only a small hole scraped in the windshield.
• Assuming an ATV rider has seen you at a trail crossing.

Test yourself: Sharing the road and winter driving in Nunavut

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Nunavut Learner’s Test and Road Test
• Driving in Iqaluit and Nunavut
• How to Get a Driver’s Licence in Nunavut