a 22 - Friday, March 2, 1990 - North Shore News AU TOMm™M OT I VY E— S Traffic school makes pro drivers even better ICBC’S YEAR- ROUND and ongoing participation in loss prevention initiatives has found fertile ground in its recent co-venture with the Justice Institute of B.C. (ID in sponsoring PTEC — the Pacific Traffic Education Cen- tre. Officially opened last fall, PTEC operates out of two locations in the Lower Mainland. The majority of classroom lectures are pres- ented at the JI on West 4th Avenue while the ‘‘hands- mn’ driving tests, training, and research, are carried out on a portion of the Bound- ary Bay Airport complex in Delta. The PTEC agenda is heavily geared to training Professional emergency vehicle drivers — police, ambulance drivers, firefighters, etc. — from B.C. and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. But what Teally distinguishes it from other facilities in Western Canada are specialized courses in accident investiga- tion and = reconstruction, unique research projects on behalf of corporate and in- Stitutional clients, and research on commercial Pros, cons of mini-vans weighed IN THE past few years, mini-vans have become an enormously popular alternative to the family sedan or station wagon. A typical mini-van offers more passenger and cargo room than a car while still being easy enough to drive and park around town. But should you trade in your faithful four-door sedan for a mini-van? What are the .disadvantages, if any, of owning a mini-van? Here is a brief rundown of the benefits and disadvan- tages. Mini-vans are lighter in weight than full-size vans, and usually shorter in length and narrower in width. Since most mini-vans have smailer four and six cylinder engines, fuel-efficiency is usually better than a full-size van but a little less than a mid-sized car. About half of all mini- vans are front-wheel drive, the other half rear-wheel drive. The advantages of front-wheel drive are better traction in the snow, more interior space in the front seat area, lighter weight, and a lower step-up height into the vehicle. Rear-whee! drive mini- vans usually have a heavier payload capacity, the ability to tow trailers, and better handling due to a more balanced front-to-rear weight ratio. Many mini-vans, such as the GMC Safari and the Volkswagen Vanagon, are also available with full-time all-wheel-drive (permanent four-wheel-drive) for even better traction in the snow, ice or loose surfaces. Some mini-vans, such as the Ford Aerostar and Plymouth Voyager, are available with two wheelbases, standard and extended length. Extended length mini-vans often have considerably more cargo space behind the third rear seat and more legroom, but the extra length makes them more ponderous to drive. A standard mini-van is often sufficient for an average family. Mini-vans will seat from two to eight people. The most popular arrangements are four or seven passenger seating. Some mini-vans, such as the Chevrolet Lumina APV, offer bucket seats in the rear as well as the front. Unfortunately, most rear seats are fixed upright, and do not adjust fore/aft or recline. To create extra cargo space, the third rear seat of a mini-van is usually remov- able by detaching two or three clips. Sometimes, the second rear seat is remov- able, but not always. Some mini-vans, such as the Pontiac Trans Sport allow both rear seats to fold flat, creating a useful, flat cargo surface. Entrance to the rear of most mini-vans is by a single tear cargo door that lifts up like a hatchback. This pro- vides easy access to the cargo area behind the rear seat with a low liftover height. The only disadvantage of this type of door is that it can be heavy to open and close. A few mini-vans have conventional swing-out rear cargo doors. While easier to open, these doors can get in the way when loading, and they impede vision in the rear-view misror because of the two door/two window configuration. As with full-size vans, mini-vans have two front doors and a sliding passen- ger door on the right side of the vehicle. Generally, these sliding passenger doors are lighter and easier to open See Small Page 23 AutoTopic Andy Neimers INSURANCE CORPORATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA truck and trailer units. This is helped by having a large pavement area for simulating a multitude of driving situations and two specially-surfaced ‘‘skid pads’’ where even huge highway skidded tractor rain. trailer units can be whipped about. There’s also a crash barrier on-site for accident/ crash research, PTEC’s board of directors and technical advisory committee read like a *twho’s-who’’ for vehicle research and driver training in Western Canada. Aside from ICBC and the Ji, there is a heavy representation from the Motor Vehicle Branch in Victoria, the Uni- versity of British Columbia and the B.C. Trucking Association, as well as the B.C. Safety Council and other government ministries. Day-to-day operations are in the hands of program director Al Lund, who This stunning new appearance is designed by local architect Wally Moroz. Included is an enlarged showroom, parts and service department plus an outdoor canopy to keep service customers from the y VANAGON GL CAMPER retired from the RCMP to head up PTEC. These days at PTEC, he has his hands full juggling the various driver training and research projects. Just at about the time this column appears, for in- stance, the PTEC facility will be heavily involved in a cooperative venture with UBC in running a program unique to North America — research on the effects of Alzheimer'’s-like symptoms as they affect drivers. Also looming on the im- mediate horizon is further testing of highway tractor- trailer braking systems — something ICBC is keenly interested in — and ongoing We’ll Be Serving You Better at Capilano Volkswagen AFTER 20 YEARS CAPILANO’S EXPANDING please use our Lloyd Street entrance as the Marine Drive entrance will be closed for a few weeks. 20 VEHICLES MUST BE SOLD NOW TO MAKE ROOM FOR CONSTRUCTION For the ‘‘Buy of a Lifetime’ visit our construction site this weekend! training of firefighters from across B.C, While the PTEC facility sees professional driver training from beginners to seasoned experts, it has in common the underlying phi- lasophy that Al Lund espouses: ‘We're not here to just upgrade basic skills or sharpen the talents of pro- fessionals who spend thou- sands of hours a year on the roads. What is key to the whole process is instilling a fresh philosophy to our par- ticipants that will stick with them for the rest of their lives and fundamentally change the way they respond to on-road challenges.”