Equipment

Is a Police officer also an inspector under the motor vehicle regulations? For noisy exhausts it is the opinion of the inspector that seems to critical in determining whether the vehicle exhaust is too noisy.

So it would be great if a police officer could issue a ticket or a notice to correct just based on their opinion, which should be just more useful than trying to do decibel testing.

Question: I have been trying to find specifics on what is the difference between off road lights and driving lights. All I can see is the indicator of SAE-Y on the lens, is this the only difference?

QUESTION: I see BC Transit buses have converted their big bus fleet to LED headlights. Are they now legal? Just an observation, most are poorly aimed and prone to blinding on-coming drivers.

BC law that requires a front licence plate on most vehicles. To mount a front plate on my vehicle requires that I punch a hole in the bumper. I don't want to do that.

Snowmobile decks are often missing required clearance lights and reflectors. Unless the deck is less than 2.05 m wide the pickup truck lights alone are not sufficient.

Sylvania's full page ad for Silverstar Ultra headlight bulbs caught my attention. See farther, see wider, see better read the banner. Up to 50% brighter light, 50% increased peripheral visibility, 40% increased downroad visibility and as much as 50 - 100 feet more visibility at night was promised.

You’ve been involved in a fender bender and now your vehicle is damaged. The headlight is pointing at the sky, the signal light is missing and the bumper had to be removed so that the tire has room to steer. The appointment with an insurance adjuster is pending, and you can’t even think about the body shop yet. Can you just keep driving until the vehicle is repaired?

Over the course of my service in traffic law enforcement I saw many things that made me shake my head. Examples include a pickup truck that had a rope strung through the vent windows and tied to the windshield wipers so that they could be operated by the passenger, another pickup with black plastic tape stuck over the brake warning light so that the brightness would not bother the driver at night and a car had no working lights on the rear because ICBC had not arranged for collision repairs yet.

On October 1, 2014 the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced new winter tire rules for British Columbia. The changes are part of the Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review conducted by the Ministry about one year ago when BC residents were asked to express their opinion. From the information provided to me, it appears that the only thing that has changed is the signage beside the highway and the chain option for passenger vehicles.

It is not uncommon for police to stop a defective vehicle and be told "The boss said drive it." The employee is at a disadvantage, he has to drive to keep his job but he is also liable for driving the defective vehicle. While the employee cannot be absolved for the deficiencies, the boss is equally responsible in law.