Equipment

"Oh yeah, I know the trailer brakes are working, I could feel them grabbing on the hill!" To me, this was almost as reliable as "The cheque is in the mail!" when it came to testing trailers with surge brakes at the roadside.

You may have seen them, a pair of small whistles that you attach to your vehicle to scare deer away and prevent collisions with them. The intent is for the movement of your vehicle to force air through them and produce sound, or ultrasound that keeps deer off the highway and safely out of your path.

Question: I have had a tinted licence plate cover on my vehicle for over 5 years now, and just recently I have been getting pulled over for it. The first event happened last week and the officer went to explain to me how they were illegal and that I should remove it immediately.

Question: We are driving our 30 foot class C motorhome with a 5x10 cargo trailer attached from Edmonton to Vancouver at the end of November. Do we need to carry chains or have winter tires?

Sometimes you run across a vehicle in your patrols that has such serious defects that it should never have left the driveway. A Notice & Order #1 is the tool used by the police to remove the vehicle from the highway and keep it removed until it has been repaired and passed inspection.

In 2010 the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) published a best practice guide for regulating excessively raised vehicles. The guide is intended to help the provinces regulate raised vehicles with a uniform approach.

Could you perhaps comment on poorly focused high intensity illegal conversions done to forward lighting on vehicles? This person says that he has had many of his friends comment on how newer vehicles with high tech headlights have made night driving uncomfortable and unsafe for them.

QUESTION: I recently purchased a Pontiac Solstice from Saskatchewan and brought it to BC for Inspection. The windshield was declared to need replacement even after I took it to our local auto glass to have the three small rock chips filled.

Every year beginning on October 1st, B.C.'s highways are posted with signs that require the use of winter tires for light vehicles. The sign shows both the mountain & snowflake symbol and the M+S acronym. While both types of tire meet the requirements, it is very important to understand what M+S really means.

Nine lamps and six reflectors are the minimum required by law to be installed and functional on your trailer. If that trailer is not a small one, the number grows rapidly to stay in compliance depending on its length and width. Not just any lamp or reflector will do either, they all must be the right device for the right place and comply with standards.