DriveSmartBC

Last week's column on overdriving low beam headlights resulted in some interesting comments. Chief among them was the thought that this wasn't a problem because the driver had installed high wattage bulbs and now had more light to see with.

This YouTube video by South Australia's Motorcycle Accident Commission nicely illustrates the hazards of racing your motorcycle on the streets instead of the track.

Have you ever given any thought to how far you can see at night as you are driving along down the highway? High beam headlights seem to overpower the dark, but there are a lot of situations where we are limited to using just the low beams. I was required to calculate the safe speed using only low beam headlights at a seminar and I was surprised at the result.

Imagine that you are a firefighter, hose in hand, approaching the flames inside a burning building. You open the nozzle on your attack line and...nothing. Someone has driven over the hose outside in the street and ruptured it causing a loss of pressure. Not only are you unable to fight the fire, you are at risk now too.

I asked a couple of transport truck drivers what bothered them about the drivers of small vehicles. We had a lively half hour discussion from which I gathered their top five concerns. Each of them could have serious consequences for everyone on the highway.

Road Watch is a program born in sadness. On Mother's Day, May 9, 1993, a multi-vehicle collision occurred in Caledon, resulting in the tragic death of eight young people. This horrific taking of lives mobilized the community to action. From this concern a S.A.F.E. (Stop Automotive Fatalities Everywhere) committee was formed and the ROAD WATCH program of Awareness, Education and Enforcement of road safety was developed.

I've had a couple of regular correspondents ask me recently about night driving glasses. These glasses have yellow lenses and are supposed to cut glare and increase contrast allowing you to see better in the darkness. After a bit of research, it appears that using these glasses is not a good idea.

This video is part of an advertising campaign by the Transport Accident Commission in Australia. It shows graphically the possible consequences of being distracted by mobile phone use while driving.

Is it legal to install a television set in a vehicle? There are two answers to this question, one simple and the other complicated. Driver distraction and the possibility of a collision resulting from it is a very real concern.

Have you ever felt upset enough about something that happened around you in traffic that you wanted to report it to the police? I'm sure that we've all felt that way at one time or another but haven't followed through because we didn't know if it was worthwhile or if anything would happen to the offending driver if we did.