Safety Equipment

How many people can legally sit in a moving motorhome? Does each occupant need a seatbelt?

Over my lifetime so far, I've gone from a child who rode on a foam mattress in the back of our family station wagon on summer road trips to a grandfather who would not dream of driving anywhere without grand daughters safely buckled up in proper child restraints. Needless to say, wearing my own seatbelt has become a reflex action. I'm uncomfortable if I don't wear it and don't notice it when I do.

This video comes to us through the Road Safety Authority of Ireland. It draws attention to the serious risk presented by wearing a shoulder belt under the arm instead of over the shoulder. According to the information, this is a common occurrence among young women.

My partner and I live in Victoria and finally able to afford it, decided to go out to dinner in North Saanich.  Not wanting to drink and drive, we went to the expense of booking a hotel in Sidney and took a taxi to the restaurant and back .  On the way back to the hotel after our dinner, the taxi driver went through a road block immediately after turning off the highway onto Beacon Avenue, directly

One of the more common questions that I receive at this time of year is "Do I need winter tires to drive to ________." The Province of B.C. has provided maps of locations where winter tires (or carrying tire chains for commercial vehicles) is mandatory. Now you can go to the site, choose the appropriate map and answer that question.

Am I able to sit on the tailgate of a truck to move 20 meters get out, throw something in the truck, then sit on tailgate again to move the next 20 meters? If not, is there a way do do this legally?

My dear wife had her tablet open the other evening and commented to me about a minor furor in a local buy and sell group on Facebook. Someone in the group was trying to sell a child safety seat and was being badgered because it was against the law to sell car seats. I wondered what law made it illegal to sell child restraints because I had not heard of one before. Do your research was her response, you’ll be able to write an article about it.

This video was produced by the Trucking Advisory Group of the BC Forest Safety Council. The introduction states "Log truck driver, Adrian Sunduk, shares his story of how a seat belt saved his life. Before attending an Anatomy of a Rollover session, he had never worn a seat belt off highway because he had always planned to jump out of the truck if ever he got into a situation … See what convinced him that he was wrong and how wearing a seat belt saved his life."

You probably never give it much thought, hop in, throw on the seatbelt and drive away. Chances are that if it's your vehicle you don't have to adjust the seat either. I wonder if you've ever read your owner's manual on properly adjusting your seat or your seatbelt? For those of you who have not or don't remember, here's a video from the IIHS to help make sure that you are effectively restrained in the event of a crash. It's the best way to minimize your chance of injury or death if you can't avoid the collision.

Bulky winter clothing could put your child at risk by reducing or defeating the protection provided by a child restraint. The video below shows how a crash test dummy in a bulky winter coat slides between the straps of a child restraint in a simulated 50 km/h frontal collision. The coat prevents the straps from tightening properly against the child's body. Remember, if you pinch the straps between your fingers you must not be able to fold any of the strap. If you can, it is still too loose.