Equipment

This is a case where a series of bad decisions and defective equipment led to the death of a pedestrian walking on a path beside the highway at Ucluelet. Van Nho Nguyen had performed maintenance on the rear brakes of his truck that resulted in those brakes not functioning correctly.

For the first time, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has tested and rated vehicle headlights. Of the 31 mid-sized vehicles examined, only one, the Toyota Prius, received a "good" rating. All the others rated acceptable, marginal or poor in roughly the same proportion. If you've wondered about glare from oncoming vehicles or thought that you weren't seeing well driving at night, the proof may be here.

Question: I grew up in the Netherlands where riding a bike everywhere is normal. I moved to Vancouver in December, 2009 and have noticed that there is not much safety commonsense with cyclists. My main concern is their "safety" LED lights! They shine them upwards blinding pedestrians and drivers along the way.

This is definitely an odd case! It shows the value of doing regular vehicle maintenance and keeping the receipts to account for it.

Black ice is a hazard here on Vancouver Island and the best defence is a good set of winter tires. They are designed to help hold the road better than M+S rated all season tires and it's now time to find a set for my wife's Honda CR-V. I'm fortunate to be able to afford what I want, so it was off to Honda for a set of steel wheels, Consumer Reports for the best tire choices and then the retailers for the best price.

Question: We have heard that there is a new law about winter tires. Tires now need to have the snow flake symbol on them or insurance will not cover us for a crash. Is this true?

One 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.

This 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.

The 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?

I saw a car with chameleon headlight tint. Apparently it's a super clear transparent film pretty much like 90% transparent...maybe more??? ...with just pigments. The pigments make it have that look where you see a puddle of oil/water on the ground and it has that rainbow effect. I know it's bad to have tail lights blacked out as it can make it harder to see you braking...but what about these headlight film that is almost clear?