Equipment

Can you advise the regulation(s) with respect to tire size on a passenger vehicle?

I am considering using existing winter tires on a newly acquired vehicle but the existing tires are slightly larger than the new vehicle tire size. The change would result in the larger tires being approx. 3.5% larger circumference than the new vehicle tires.

What is the law in this regard?

Perhaps you saw news coverage of the out of control commercial truck collision on the Coquihalla Highway last Friday. Witness accounts from the scene speculated that the combination appeared to have lost it’s brakes and may not have stopped at the mandatory brake inspection pullout nearby. No doubt this will be either confirmed or disproved when the investigation of the incident is complete.

It appears that sometimes you don't get what you pay for. A class action lawsuit in the US against Osram Sylvania over the advertised claims for their Silver Star headlight bulbs was successful. The suit alleged that Sylvania represented that the headlights are brighter, provide a wider beam and allow drivers to see farther down the road than standard halogen headlights.

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.