June 21, 2023 – Distracted Driving: What to Know as a Real Estate Professional

On Wednesday, June 21, we were joined by Grant Gottgetreu, Retired Police Corporal and Forensic Consultant for Gottgetreu Consulting LTD, and Kyla Lee, Criminal Defence Lawyer for Acumen Law Corporation. Grant and Kyla spoke about distracted driving laws in British Columbia and best practices, as well as the legal history of these laws, and much more.

Session slide deck (Acumen Law Corporation)

Below are answers from Kyla that we were unable to address during the session:

Can you get into trouble if your passenger is using a cell phone in any way that might be considered a distraction to the driver by showing the cell screen etc.?

Yes, you can. If the passenger holds the phone and you watch the screen of the phone then you could get in trouble for that. That is because “watching” the screen of a phone is prohibited, and that could include the conduct described above. Best not to look at the passenger’s phone screen and to ask the passenger to put it away if they are watching something that is distracting and asking you to take a look.

Are there laws that address the concept of distractions when cars are self-driving? If so, what is considered distracted driving when a car is in self-driving mode? If not, do you anticipate legislation that might address self-driving cars and distractions in the near future?

Self-driving laws are on the books – they received royal assent very recently. Right now, autonomous driving modes are prohibited by law in BC, so there is no need to address the distraction angle. If the government does permit autonomous driving by regulation in the future, all existing obligations on a driver – including distracted driving laws – would continue unless they are expressly exempted in those circumstances. I doubt that will happen in the near future.

Resources:

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Past Sessions

November 1, 2023 – Managing Brokers Policies and Procedures Manual Template & Standard Forms Launch

On Wednesday, November 1, 2023, we were joined by Jim McCaughan, Professional Services Support Advisor at BCREA, and Ryan DeLuca, Managing Director at 25th Hour Regulatory Consulting. Jim provided an informative overview of BCREA’s November 2023 Standard Forms Launch, including a summary of the forms change process, standard forms resources, a synopsis of the standard forms launch itself, and more. Ryan gave an invaluable presentation on topics such as why brokerages need a policies and procedures manual, things to consider when creating the manual, sections to include in the manual, best practices, and more.

Session slide deck (25th Hour Regulatory Consulting)
Session slide deck (BCREA)

Resources:

BCREA Standard Forms Pre-Launch Package
BCREA Policies & Procedures Template
- Please note clicking on the Managing Brokers Policies and Procedures Manual Template link above will directly download a Word document that is not viewable on your device until downloaded.
BCREA Standard Forms email address: [email protected]
Ryan DeLuca – BCREA Managing Brokers’ Conference Speaker Video
BCREA Managing Broker Support Line:
- Lower Mainland: 604-520-9440
- Toll-Free: 1-844-414-8655
- Email: [email protected]

The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers and do not reflect the views of BCREA or its member boards. Please note, the content of these presentations was current as of the date of each session and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided in past sessions.