Safety Equipment

The third week in September marked the official start of fall and noticeably shorter days. That means many of us will driving in the dark more often. Here are some bright ideas for driving at night.

On August 28, 2014 a tour bus crash occurred on the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt. 56 people were injured, 15 of them seriously. A civil action, Ding v Prevost, was taken against a number of parties involved in the tour that included Prevost, the manufacturer of the bus. Jie Ding and the other plaintiffs involved claim that their injuries were made worse by the lack of seatbelts on the bus.

Anti-lock brakes (ABS) have gone from being a novelty to being present on most vehicles today. Have you read and understood the section of your vehicle owner's manual on this vital safety system? Contrary to popular belief, ABS does not always mean shorter stopping distances.

What do you have stored in your vehicle to protect yourself in the event of a breakdown or collision? Most of us will probably reply that they don't have anything prepared for this eventuality. In fact, with the reliability of vehicles today and perhaps not having been involved in a significant collision before, we may be lulled into thinking that we don't really need it.

Complex automation known as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can now control the vehicle’s speed, headway, and lane position, and capabilities continue to expand. Drivers need to understand these new vehicle features in order to use them effectively and appropriately.

This video from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia explains that airbags can be dangerous to young children seated in the front seat or leaning against the vehicle's door. It's very important to learn about air bag safety to help protect your child.

A new vehicle sold today is equipped with a backup camera to help insure that the driver has as complete a view to the rear as possible to insure safety while backing up. An IIHS study compared the crash rates of cars with and cars without backup cameras. Overall, cars with cameras were 17% less likely to be involved in a police-reported backup crash. Why was the reduction so small?

CarFit is an educational program operated in a partnership between the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and the Canadian Automobile Association. Originally designed to offer older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles "fit" them, drivers of any age may benefit.

We all know that the law requires that we wear our seat belts when driving. The Motor Vehicle Act says in part "..wear the complete seat belt assembly in a properly adjusted and securely fastened manner." Why should we worry, and how do we know what is proper?

Two women once appeared for trial on on of my traffic court dates. Both were disputing a ticket for failing to wear a seat belt under section 220(4) of the Motor Vehicle Act. They each testified that they were wearing their seat belt, but had placed the shoulder belt under their arms.