Miscellaneous

Most of us drive vehicles that use gasoline for fuel. If you are like me, we probably notice the signs at the pump island that tell us to stop our engines before refueling but don't give it much more thought than that. Perhaps the reader that suggested this topic is doing us all a favour.

Why would a website that specializes in road safety and traffic law in British Columbia refer to the German Road Traffic Regulations? If you take a moment to read the basic driving rules at the beginning and think about it for a moment, maybe you will agree that this is the way our Motor Vehicle Act should start.

If you are like me, the worst time to be driving is at night in the pouring rain. It's like driving into a wet sack of coal! When another vehicle approaches, the glare of their headlights can be blinding. When driving is a necessity rather than a choice, what's a driver to do?

We had our Strata AGM last night and it was brought to our attention that there is an uninsured car parked in our underground parking. Could you please let me know the laws around this?

Data privacy is something that we all need to be concerned about today. Did you ever think about what might be contained in that magnetic stripe on the back of your driver's licence? There might be more there than you think.

Has the manufacturer of your vehicle issued a safety related recall? Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls On-Line Database makes short work of answering this question for you. Simply enter the make, model and year of your vehicle and find out immediately if you should be concerned.

Question: I wonder if you can find any information regarding the rumble strips they cut into the asphalt between lanes. I can see some benefit in them in waking up a sleepy driver, mainly on the side of the road, but like on Hwy 6 from Vernon to Nakusp, there are a lot of corners and this rumble strip is annoying in that most people drive over it, which causes a lot of noise in your vehicle.

I arrived part way through a story unfolding in the Driver Service Center today. As I sat down, I saw a middle aged woman indicate a young man to the clerk and comment something to the effect of "at least he has a valid licence." It quickly became apparent that she trying to initiate the review of the impoundment of her vehicle and that one of her children driving it without a valid driver's licence had triggered the impound.

How Wide? How Long? How High? These questions, when asked in relation to vehicles and their loads, probably bring large commercial vehicles to mind for most drivers. However, the rules on the maximum allowable sizes apply to light non-commercial vehicles as well.

The quality of a home made or ubilt utility trailer can range from factory perfect to I'm amazed that it is still following you! Lights, licensing, weight and brakes are the most common problems encountered by enforcement personnel at the roadside.