Safety Equipment

Bulky winter clothing could put your child at risk by reducing or defeating the protection provided by a child restraint. The video below shows how a crash test dummy in a bulky winter coat slides between the straps of a child restraint in a simulated 50 km/h frontal collision. The coat prevents the straps from tightening properly against the child's body. Remember, if you pinch the straps between your fingers you must not be able to fold any of the strap. If you can, it is still too loose.

Effective September 22, 2015, the following amendments to BC's winter tire rules have been put into effect:

ICBC has produced two new videos aimed at making sure motorcycle riders use proper safety gear to protect themselves in the event of a crash. The first two videos are on riding pants and riding gloves. Protecting your hands and legs with the right gear as opposed to work gloves and blue jeans are shown. The third compares full face and partial helmets.

We are going on a drive through Canada and the US in a large motorhome that only has shoulder strap seatbelts for the driver and co-pilot. All other seatbelts are lap-belts only. My 7-year-old son requires a booster seat when we are in the car, but what do we do in the RV? Front seat? Back seat with booster? Back seat without booster?

Behind the driver, behind the passenger, or middle?

Our elementary-school child's booster seat says to check the car's documentation for proper placement; our car's documentation says to check the booster seat manual for proper placement.

I remember what I was a teenager (yes, that was a few years ago) working in my father's service station. The latest safety gadget in new vehicles was a buzzer that warned the driver when seatbelts were not fastened. That's a good idea, right?

The YouTube description of this video says that "Simulated crash tests show the importance of proper child restraint installation. Most parents don't realize they need to use the top tethers for forward-facing child restraints. Attaching the top tether keeps the restraint from pitching too far forward in a crash putting children at risk of head or neck injuries. Tethers are key to getting the most protection from a child restraint."

We buy products that we expect will perform according to the manufacturer's claims for them. In this case the product is a restraint for our canine friends when they ride in our vehicle with us. The claim is that the restraints will protect the animal. CBC Marketplace testing finds the contrary, our expectations may be putting both our pets and ourselves at risk.

Steven Levitt shares data that shows car seats are no more effective than seatbelts in protecting kids aged 2 to 6 years old from dying in cars. However, during the Q&A, he makes one crucial caveat regarding a medical study that shows car seats significantly reduce injury.

Part of the investigation of any serious motor vehicle collision is an examination of the seatbelts to determine if the person in that seating position was restrained or not. The outcome could determine whether a ticket for failing to wear the restraint was issued or not but I suspect that more commonly the information was used to determine liability. If you were not wearing your seatbelt your award for injury could be reduced by the courts.