28 - Friday, July 3, 1998 — mm we. ~_ North Shore News Seatbelts still lives saving HOW’S a person sup- posed to be safe when the law doesn’t even -require it? According to the mighty Motor Vehicle Act and the equally mighty B.C. MVA regulations, anybody under . the age of 16 can hop into a car and not wear a seat belt. However, nobody is allowed to drive said vehicle without first ensuring that their pre-16 passengers are buckled up. > Seat belt laws are even _ More specific when referring to parents/guardians and their kids/wards, and have further depth when pertain- ing to infants and toddlers (see the B.C. Regulations, Division-32 & 36 of the MVA and cross reference ‘with at least 12 pages of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations of Canada). —=~* Basically stated, infants and toddlers must not only be buckled up, they niust be buckled in an appropriately - sized ‘and anchored car seat. All’of the seat-belt rules and regulations are suspend- "ed, however, if one is taking ‘an ‘infant, toddler or pre-16 on some form of public wran- it, like a-bus, which does ‘jnot have and does not require seat-belts. . “Taxis are also considered _. to be a form of public tran- ~~ sit; they are exempt from a ’ great many of the seat belt laws, as are their drivers. v=, Newborns to 15-year-olds don’ t have to wear seat belts when in a taxi-cab, nor are ‘drivers required to ‘ensure that they do so (oth- ¢, in most motor vehi- “six een, except taxi drivers ling at less than 70 km- h— hey, it “could happen.) *Ie-should be noted that there are a few other people exempt from seat belt laws who are: drivers with a note’ ’ froma doctor or the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles; peace officers and * emergency vehicle drivers in :, Certain and specific circum- tarices; bus drivers and bus . passengers. : Furtliermore, and to LIL, 24 valve, 6 cinder ABS brakes /- alloy wheels slectronic climate control apparently ease the burdens of the working stiff, seat belt laws do not apply to anyone “who is engaged in work which sequires him te alight from and re-enter the motor vehicle at frequent intervals and who, while engaged in that wvork, does not drive or travel in thar vehicle ata specd exceeding 40 km-h.” Take note all you couri- ers, pizza slingers and parts drivers: under 40 klicks! . Now, I recall a column from a couple of years back when a taxi-using reader had expressed her desire to anchor her child in a child- seat in spite of the legal exemptions, yet could not as her un-obliging North Shore Taxi cab did nor have the appropriate anchorage sys- tem (some car seats merely require a standard scat-belt for anchorage, others need a special bolt mounted to the car). So, what's 2 good, thoughtful safery-conscious parent to do? As it turns out, good, thoughtful safery-conscious parents can phone Sunshine Cabs instead. The North Vancouver cab company has some cars that - are equipped with the appro- priate anchor bolts for cer- tain child seats. They gladly send you such a car, complete with driver, if you request them to do so. - Buckle up and be safe. PORSCHE enthusiasts were treated to both old and new models at last weekend's: Porsche Car. Ciul at Waterfront Park in North Vancouver. Beautiful weather brought out equally beautiful automob! popular annual event. This Sunday the scenic park plays host to the.muscular Camare:and’M istang;C Clubs. The free show runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Waterfront Park is located Just. west ot Lonedsie BCAA says get drunks off THE British Columbia Automobile Association has asked government to get hard core drunk drivers off the road, and to implement tougher emission standards for new vehicles. “Introduction of a manda- tory assessment and rehabilita- tion program for impaired dri- vers, and progressively tougher vehicle efficiency standards are the top two priorities of our members,” BCAA president Bill Bullis said. In a recent BCAA survey, members rated BCAA’s efforts to have government introduce mandatory addiction assess- ment for impaired drivers as the association’s most important advocacy issue. Overall, 71% rated it 8 to 16 in terms of importance on a 10 point scale, for an average score of 8.16. 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