The average beyond.ca reader spends a lot more time on the maintenance of their vehicles than most people. Reading the forums you’ll see people asking for advice on new tires, and checking and comparing to see what brand offers the best bang for the buck. What is worrysome is that while these car enthusiasts try their best to ensure their tires are replaced when the tread depth gets too low and that they are properly inflated, there is still one danger they are overlooking.
A recent study and investigation in the US has found that many tire retailers–mostly automotive branches of stores like Walmart and Sears–were selling old tires. These tires that were being sold to the public were up to 12 years old, giving the buyer a false sense of security. Due to years of drying out, the tread on these tires will not take much driving to eventually separate from the rest of the tire causing a blow out and likely an accident. In the video below, you’ll see that even someone that is expecting a blow out cannot safely control the vehicle.
The good news is that there is a way to find out when a tire was manufactured. On the sidewall of the tire is a Department of Transportation number. On some tires this number is only printed on the inside wall of the tire making it hard to locate if it is already mounted on your vehicle. At the end of the cryptic sequence of numbers is a 3 or 4 digit number. The first two numbers is the week # and the last 2 digits are the year. If you have a tire with a 3 digit number, you have a tire made in the 90s!
Examples:
2108 - 21st week of 2008
3702 - 37th week of 2002
459 - 45th week of 1999
If you have a set of tires that are more than 6 years old, it is strongly recommended that you replace them as they are past their designed lifespan. The rubber has lost its flexibility and even if there is plenty of tread, the tire will not perform as it supposed to. Worse case scenario, with extended driving distances the tire may even blow out causing a crash.
A joint provincial-city safety audit of Deerfoot Trail, a major north-south highway corridor in Calgary led by two aldermen has revealed what many Calgarians already knew: The roadway is one of the most dangerous roadways in Calgary. The first phase of the audit includes the analysis of the freeway and interchanges including education and enforcement activities.
Initial recommendations, which will be detailed in phase 2 of the audit, include lowering the speed limit of the roadway to 90 km/h, widening the shoulders, and the installation of merger control devices to space out vehicles merging into traffic.
“There are 93 access points to Deerfoot Trail,” said Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart. “We need something controlling the flow of people entering Deerfoot.”
The lowering of the speed limit is a bit short-sighted and is a typical reaction when looking at traffic collisions on major roadways. While high speeds obviously is a big factor when it comes to the seriousness of accidents, it is not necessarily the cause of accidents. On Deerfoot Trail, where the posted limit is 100km/h, the usual traffic speed is at least 125 - 130km/h. Accidents occur because of the speed differential of vehicles on the roadway. You have vehicles that go 5 - 10 under because they are worried, or do not have enough power to maintain the speed limit and you also have large semis going 120+ km/h.
There is no easy fix for Deerfoot Trail but here are a few things that I think would help:
1. Reduce the number of access points (onramps) - There are 93 access points currently that feed traffic onto Deerfoot Trail. As a result, the “freeway” is not really that free flowing with constant merging traffic joining the flow.
2. Increase the speed limit to 110 km/h - This obviously cannot happen until the access points are reduced and merge lanes are lengthened but it would decrease the speed differential of the traffic on the roadway providing a safer flow of traffic.
3. Increase enforcement of new speed limit - More tickets need to be handed out to drivers that are going excessively fast (130km/h range) as they are making it hard for traffic to merge in properly. A roadway with cars all moving at the same rate of speed is a safer one.
4. Introduce and enforce Passing on Left rule - Traffic should stay in the right lanes except to pass. Heavy enforcement of this rule will result in higher speed passing traffic in the left lanes, reducing the average speed of vehicles in the right lane, again making it easier for traffic to merge onto the roadway.
5. Education - None of these strategies will work without a proper educational campaign and proper enforcement of the rules. While the design of the roadway is poor, many improvements can be made to increase the safety and efficiency of the traffic that uses it.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with some of the proposed changes that the safety audit is proposing? Will a 90 km/h speed limit make Deerfoot Trail safer?
In this weekly segment, we cover the top discussions going on in the car forums. These threads may be the most recent hot topics, or epic threads that we just wanted to dig up and feature.
If you have a suggestion for a thread to be included on the forum weekly review, e-mail it to info@beyond.ca. If you have not joined our forums, register today its free!
Canada Relaxes Bumper Standards and Amends CMVSS Section 215
This fairly old thread has been brought back to life since the announcement by the Canadian Government that it had updated section 215 of the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards pertaining to bumpers. What this means is that cars that meet either the European (ECE) standard, or the US standard are now permissible in Canada. The Canadian bumper 8km/h (5mph) crash test is no longer necessary.
Next to an ‘08, RHD vehicle owners are probably the next most ridiculed bunch on the forums. Why is this the case? Are RHD vehicle owners really such big douches that the collective forum members all gather into a mob to make fun of these people? Probably not. I suspect its just a handful of guys that drive around thinking their hot shit ruining it for everyone, but its still entertaining. This thread may also explain why there is such hatred for JDM vehicles and their owners.
Rage2’s Spam / Luncheon Meat Super Review
I dug this one out since rage2’s birthday was this week. If you haven’t already done so, visit the Happy Birthday To Rage2 thread and send your birthday wishes. If you have not visited and gone through every page of the Spam Super Review thread, I suggest you do so now. Have you ever wondered which brand of spam is the best? Ever wonder what kind of spam recipes there are? Get in there and check it out or if you know of some good recipes, post them up!
Hope everyone has a great weekend, and if you are taking Monday off, Happy Long Weekend!
Just in time for the holiday weekend, federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson praises new legistlation allowing police forces across the country to compel drivers to take roadside tests for drugs. While it has always been an offense to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, police had no power to make a driver submit a blood, urine or saliva sample.
“We’re zeroing in on in those individuals who take drugs and who are impaired while they’re driving,” he said at an announcement on Toronto’s waterfront.
“It’s a big step forward. It’s something that Mothers Against Drunk Driving, law enforcement agencies, and people who have been victims of impaired driving have been calling for quite some time.”
Prior to the new legistlation, police were obligated to tell drivers that the road side tests were not mandatory and that the test results could be used against them in court. As a result, many drivers would refuse the tests. Starting July 2nd, 2008 refusing to take such a road side test would be a criminal offense much like how refusing to take a breathalyzer is a criminal offense.
While police do say that the new powers would not be used to charge drivers with trace levels of drugs in their system, time will tell to see how everything pans out.
Sgt. Robert Martin, with York Regional Police, said officers won’t be using the new law to unnecessarily penalize drivers if they have traces of drugs in their system. Certain narcotics, such as marijuana, will show up in blood tests long after the high wears off.
Unless a person appears to be impaired, they won’t be pulled over, Martin said.
Have a safe holiday weekend, and if you’re partaking in any extra-curricular activities remember to arrange for a designated driver unless you want to provide a fluid sample at the next check stop or road block you drive through.
Hideous rear bumper addons like the one seen above on a Ford GT will no longer be necessary after today. Despite opposition from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Canada has harmonized its bumper safety standards with European and United States standards. Specifically, section 215 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations will be replaced with the following:
215. (1) A passenger car shall be equipped with bumpers that conform to either
(a) the requirements set out in paragraph 6, and the low-speed-impact test procedure set out in Annex 3, except for paragraph 4 of that Annex, of ECE Regulation No. 42 — Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Vehicles with regard to Their Front and Rear Protective Devices (Bumpers, etc.), in the version dated June 12, 2007, as amended after that date by any amendment in the 00 series of amendments; or
(b) the requirements, conditions and test procedures set out in title 49, part 581 of the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States (revised as of October 1, 2006).
This is both good news and bad news. Car enthusiasts have been waiting for this day long before the Canadian Government made the announcement it was looking to harmonize the Canadian bumper standards with those in the rest of the world. This means that cars that were previously not available in Canada because they did not pass the more stringent bumper standards are now permissible in Canada since they pass either the ECE standard or the US standard. The only hurdle that remains is for the Registrar of Imported Vehicles to update their admissibility list.
The bad news, is the point about safety and durability of front bumpers on newer cars now that they do not need to conform to a higher safety standard. When the Canadian Government first announced this, they mentioned that this harmonizing of the bumper safety standards will help maintain the safety of Canadian roads. I never did quite get that statement. Obviously, a bumper that is designed to withstand at least 5mph (8km/h) will be stronger and safer than a bumper designed for half that speed. Many will argue the trade off is worth it. There will be more variety of cars available in Canada (mainly imports of used vehicles), and a possibility that prices will drop because they are no longer built specifically for the Canadian market.
I look forward to the newly available cars that can be imported into Canada!
The First United Nations Global Road Safety Week will be held from 23-29 April 2007, with a theme of young road users. This theme was chosen because young people constitute a major group at risk of death, injury and disability on the road.
The objectives of the Week are to raise awareness about the societal impact and costs of road traffic injuries and to promote action around key factors which have a major impact on preventing road traffic injuries (helmets, seat-belts, drink driving, speeding and infrastructure).
The slogan for the Week is “Road Safety is No Accident” which highlights the fact that improving road safety does not happen by accident, but requires deliberate efforts on the part of many sectors of society – governmental and nongovernmental alike.
There is a growing recognition that road traffic injuries and deaths can be prevented. It has been demonstrated in a number of countries that by acting on key factors, in particular drinking and driving, seat-belt compliance, aggressive driving and road design and infrastructure, a significant number of lives can be saved.
RCMP traffic officers throughout the province of British Columbia target the issues of drinking drivers, seat-belt compliance and aggressive drivers every day. As a special initiative to support the first UN Global Safety Week, members of the “E” Division Traffic Services will identify safe drivers and recognize them with a letter of appreciation and a bumper sticker identifying them as a safe driver.
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Are you doing your part?
