DriveSmartBC

One of my friends stopped to visit last weekend and showed me his truck and camper. You should write about this because people need to know how to be safe he said. He had switched from a one ton truck with single rear tires to one with dual rear tires. It made a big difference in stability and gave him a larger margin between the actual weight and the maximum weight allowed for the vehicle.

Older pedestrians are less likely to survive a collision than younger people. It is also a fact of life that aging brings with it a reduction in perceptual abilities such as poorer vision, depth perception and increased chance of confusion. Add bad walking habits to the mix and an already risky situation becomes worse. All of the things that we teach our children to survive in traffic are equally applicable to older pedestrians.

I am an employment counsellor with a First Nations Employment Service in BC.  Many of my clients were young and foolish when they started driving and got caught without a license or insurance and they kept doing this until they owe thousands of dollars.  This problem is interfering with their ability to earn a living as adults.  Is there a process whereby they can make payments to get their license back?

Choosing the speed to drive at on our highways is a highly controversial and individual decision. I would dare to say that the posted speed limit is only a guide for many drivers. For those drivers, the choice ranges from total disregard to the point that you decide what is 10 over from.

I like to talk about road safety with people I meet because it often ends up producing a good topic for these articles. Yesterday I stopped to speak with the road maintenance contractor operating the mower clearing the shoulder of the roads in my neighbourhood. He was quick to offer three observations, heed the signs, keep your distance and wait behind when there is oncoming traffic.

One exemption from having to wear a seatbelt during normal operation of a motor vehicle is when one is a delivery driver who travels at 40 km/h or less and makes frequent stops. The Motor Vehicle Act does not define what the term "frequent stops" means.

The photo below shows a "C" shaped cutout in the frame rail of a 1/2 ton low rider pickup truck. The mouth of the "C" faces the rear axle, and was made to allow room for the axle to move up and down without striking the frame. The cutout significantly weakens the frame of the pickup and could result in the frame breaking while the vehicle was being driven.

It's show and shine season and the carefully maintained and restored older vehicles are out for our appreciation. I watched one vehicle from the early 50's pass by me the other day and I noticed that it was equipped with a center brake light and angel eyes in the headlights. It also sported a collector licence plate and that got me to thinking, were either of the two "enhancements" that I noticed allowed on a collector plated vehicle?

Mr. Victor Shymanski was charged with disobeying a traffic control device after he drove his commercial vehicle past a regulatory sign requiring him to stop and check his brakes. He was convicted at trial.

My sister will be coming to Vancouver to visit me from Serbia. She has a valid Serbian driving license, but no insurance (she currently doesn’t own a car). I have a valid BC (ICBC) insurance on my vehicle, and a valid BC driver’s license. Will she be able to drive my car? Does she need to buy some additional insurance for driving my car, or will my insurance cover any damage in case of an accident?