The Importance of a Trailer Pre-Trip Inspection

Boat TrailerOne of the more eye-opening exercises that I used to conduct at this time of the year was to park my police vehicle at the brake check and wave in vehicles pulling boat trailers for a mechanical inspection. I had learned that boat trailers were often the most poorly maintained of all recreational trailers and there were often serious safety defects to be found.

VIDEO - Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems

VideoThis short video by the Tire Industry Association explains what your tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) does and why it is important to know when any of your tires are underinflated. Aside from the safety benefits, the TPMS system can  decrease irregular tire wear, improve your vehicle’s handling, reduce braking distance and better your fuel economy.

Q&A - LSM in Bike Lanes

motorcycleI have a 49cc gas scooter. Its top speed is only 50kph, so I try to stay in the bicycle lane if traffic is heavy. I have searched drivesafebc.ca and ICBC but cannot find articles on whether this is legal.

If I was riding in the bike lane and was in an accident with a vehicle that made a right hand turn in front of me, who would be at fault?

How Many Tie Downs Do You Need?

Tie Down StrapThe load consisted of rough lumber, about 2x6 or 2x8 size 12 to 14 feet long and 3 feet high on a flat deck trailer pulled by a large pickup truck. Load security was provided by a single heavy strap wrapped once around the middle of the load. The combination was being pulled at highway speed which was 90 km/h. Do you think that this load was secured to the trailer sufficiently?

Rossland Slows Down

Map Showing Rossland BCThe City of Rossland has done something rare in our motor vehicle centric world where many drivers think that faster is better. Effective on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 the speed on municipal streets has been lowered to 30 km/h. Hmm you say, that's the same speed as a school zone. Well, not in Rossland, the speed there has been lowered too. It's 15 km/h in pick up areas and 20 km/h elsewhere. Interesting!