Right hand drive legality

[mararmeisto]

So I was digging through the Motor Vehicle Act for BC, as I am want to do of late since purchasing a JDM vehicle, I found the following interesting tidbit (italics added by author for emphasis of point):

Means of signalling
171 (1) Subject to subsection (2), if a signal is required a driver must give it by means of
(a) his or her hand and arm,
(b) a signal lamp of a type approved by the director, or
(c) a mechanical device of a type approved by the director.
(2) When a vehicle is constructed or loaded in a manner that makes a signal by hand and arm not visible both to its front and rear, or a body or load extends more than 60 cm to the left of the centre of the steering wheel, a driver must give signals as provided by paragraph (1) (a) or (b), and a person must not drive the motor vehicle on a highway unless it is so equipped.

Left hand drive signals
172 (1) When a driver of a left hand drive vehicle gives a signal by hand and arm, the driver must do so from the left side, and must signify
(a) a left turn by extending his or her left hand and arm horizontally from the vehicle,
(b) a right turn by extending his or her left hand and arm out and upward from the vehicle, and
(c) a stop or decrease in speed by extending his or her left hand and arm out and downward from the vehicle.
(2) A person must not drive a right hand drive vehicle on a highway unless it is equipped with a mechanical or electrical signalling device approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

As near as I can tell, this is the ONLY reference to a right hand drive vehicle in the Act. It does indicate that we will drive on the 'right hand half of the roadway,' but makes no reference to which side of the vehicle the driver should be located.

Just thought I would share.

[Green1]

there are some places where the law states that you must have a "right hand drive" sticker on the back of your car if it is not equipped with electronic signals, and your quote there says it must be equipped with electronic signals...

Either way, none of that is relevant as you can't pass an OOP without signal lights :)

[mararmeisto]

there are some places where the law states that you must have a "right hand drive" sticker on the back of your car if it is not equipped with electronic signals, and your quote there says it must be equipped with electronic signals...

Either way, none of that is relevant as you can't pass an OOP without signal lights :)

Are your comments particular to Alberta? The Act is a provincial thing, so you might require a sticker there, but not here in BC. Know what I mean?

[Green1]

I can't remember what jurisdiction the sticker thing was, I just remember reading about it...

but as I said, no matter which interpretation you take, it's still irrelevant, as both of them simply state that you need turn signals to get around the rule, and you can't get a vehicle through OOP without those.

[garyo]

someone should show this to the idiot cop who i just spent a 1/2 hr arguing with on the side of the road.this guy kept saying rhd was illegal. after pulling out my motor vehicle inspector card, and the cvip manual, which i now carry in the van, he grudgingly told me to ''beat it''. dont think he was too impressed with the new lift either . this same cop pulled me over last summer when i was sitting at a stop light on my cr 500. he told me 2 strokes were illegal. this j*****s is giving all the decent policemen out there a bad name. anyway, just my 2 cents.

[mararmeisto]

Did you get his badge number? What did he pull you over for? Just because it was RHD? Not only do the police have to have a reason for pulling you over, they have to TELL you that reason. They can't pull people over just for kicks...

[garyo]

ya , i got his number, which made him even more grumpy. he said he was'' just checking me out''. i make a a point of driving like a responsible adult. when i asked mr personality what he thought i did wrong, he couldn't give me a straight answer.then he went into some rant how these ''things'' (jdm vehicles) were unsafe because they didn't meet canadian safety standards. also how i was taking jobs away from canadians and our car companies. bs i say. if i hadn't found the deli, i'd be driving a toyota or nissan or other such vehicle. i really doubt the japanese are going to make unsafe cars for the home market. his other gripe was about my lights. i've got hid's in the lo beams (thanks to mark at vsm for hooking me up , waaay better than stock) ,and the fogs. i put the covers on right there because i was getting tired of arguing, and had to be elsewhere.he said they were too hi. wrong. cvip manual states that center of fogs must be lower than center of headlamp.which they are on the deli, just. funny thing is, he totally ignored the 4 huge off road lights bolted to the roof, with no covers. anyone else had this kind of thing happen?

[mararmeisto]

Sounds like 'Mr. Personality' was using his badge as a substitute for a little blue pill. My ex-father-in-law was a Mountie and he had a bit of the same sort of condition: he'd get up on his peace-officer-soap-box and rant about this and that to me.

Information is the best defense - just make sure it's the right information (which I why I was reading the Motor Vehicle Act in the first place).

And to close: "Light travels faster than sound. This is a scientific fact. It can even be observed by the common man in the street: some people appear bright, until you hear them speak."

[Green1]

be aware that the cop was actually right on one thing... your headlights are technically illegal, there is no such thing as a legal aftermarket HID.

That said, sounds like he was a jerk, and I would recommend calling up his detachment and having a word with his supervisor...