DriveSmartBC

Volume 45, Number 3 of the IIHS Status Report looks at two subjects in this issue, motorcycles and graduated licensing of new drivers. For motorcyclists, the wearing of helmets, the use of anti-lock brakes and the fact that mandatory training for new drivers does not seem to reduce crash rates form the bulk of the content.

"You don't care about safety! All you guys want to do is suck money out of my pocket!" Here was a speeder that was very definite in his opinion and not afraid to state it. He was wrong, I did care about safety, but my traffic cop toolbox didn't contain many officially sanctioned options for dealing with it.

The video explains when not to pass, when it's okay to pass, and how to determine if you have time to pass safely. There is one fault with it as it shows passing on the right after crossing over a solid white line. This pass would be illegal in British Columbia. Otherwise, the advice is worthwhile.

Meet Nia, who presents her top 12 tips for defensive driving. The video runs for 4 minutes and 29 seconds and was funded by the US insurance firm Allstate as part of their Vehicle Vibes series.

This vintage driver training film from Chevrolet compares safe driving to flying in military formation and encourages drivers to get "the airplane view" of what is going on around them in traffic. It is interesting to see the driving practices in the film that are not commented on and would never be accepted as proper driving behaviour today.

This two minute video shows how to properly adjust your vehicle's mirrors. It focuses on how to adjust your side view mirrors to see into the blind spots on either side, helping you to avoid lane change collisions.

A professional driver gives some important tips on how to recover from a skid from Ford Motor Company's Driving Skills for Life program. It is designed to help young drivers improve their skills in four key areas that are critical factors in more than 60% of teen vehicle crashes, hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management and speed management.

The British Highways Agency has produced a 14 minute video titled "Great Roads, Great Rides 2." It is designed to put you on the bike, inside the helmet and close to the road, in order to teach you to identify hazards and 'read the road'. The rider in the video is Glenn Julian, a professional motorcyclist.

Winter driving can be dangerous but this handy and easy-to-read brochure, "Winter Driving" is full of great safety tips. It shows you what you should do to get your vehicle ready for winter, like adding snow tires, getting an emergency kit and checking your lights, brakes and battery.

OK, hands up those of you who have taken formal driver training in the past five years and were not learning to drive for the first time. Heck, hands up everyone who has ever taken formal driver training after you first obtained your driver's licence. Perhaps I need glasses, but I don't see a forest of hands waving out there!