Equipment

Arrive Alive is South Africa's road safety awareness web site. The page titled Lighting and Safe Driving is an interesting read  as it explains a very complex subject in layman's terms. How our eyes work, what kind of light we see best by and how that affects our ability to drive safely when it is dark makes interesting reading.

As is often the case, today's article comes from what I see around me as I drive. I was passed by a cube van with one white floodlight on the right rear illuminated. The driver of a truck tractor with no trailer pulled in front of him using the right lane and flashed his backup and docking lamps a few times.

Have car headlights, beams, power, brightness gotten out of control in terms of what is allowed legally on the road, if there ever were any rules?

Are truck drivers and other cars, like SUV’s that sit high off the road aware of the power of their headlight on smaller cars due to the height of the car beams?

Do you drive or service vehicles with air brake or electronic safety systems on board? The Bendix Brake School is a free resource that teaches how Bendix products work in these applications. While it is manufacturer specific, the information in general will apply to similar offerings by other companies. The material includes a complete airbrake training course whose interactive content includes quizzes and exams.

My driver-side window seems to have went out-of-guide: it opens and closes with a bit of effort on the motor and help by hand; so it seems best to leave it closed for the moment.

I currently drive a 1998 jeep grand Cherokee and was pulled over and given a notice and order for a VI.

Question: With all the off-road looking trucks on the road, I would like to know if there is a law regarding the height of bumpers and head lights on all vehicles. Some of these seem extremely dangerous in the event of an accident. The bumpers are at window height for most cars and the lights are blinding to other drivers at night.

There is little doubt in my mind that one of the most popular add on accessories for vehicles is some type of light. I was asked recently to comment by a visitor to the DriveSmartBC web site who said that he had noticed rectangular LED light bars in the bumpers and on the roofs of trucks and SUVs. While it is possible that some of these lamps are legal for use on the highway, many are not. The question is, how do you tell?

I have a McGregor sailboat on a trailer, and many years ago the brakes rusted out (salt water) and I had to have them taken out in order to move. The rest of the trailer is quite sound. I was informed by people in the industry that I could still tow the trailer as as the boat is quite light and my towing vehicle is quite heavy duty.

On July 4th, 2013 this vehicle was stopped near Sayward, B.C. The owner was quite upset that the vehicle was towed. Below is a picture of what was left of the rear spring shackle, the other side was no better. Also note the cracks in the frame. This was a 2003 Chevy S-10. The rest of the vehicle was in fair condition.