Cars have had rear view mirrors made of glass since at least the 1920s, so after 100 years, it looks natural for a car to have these reflective appendages sticking out the side. However, given that camera and screen technology…
Electronic variable speed limit signs are legal and enforceable. They can be established to temporarily restrict the speed due to road works, weather, an accident, a hazard such as a slip, heavy traffic or a temporary event like a concert.…
Until the road can heal itself, pot holes are going to be ever present, with council contractors always one step behind when it comes to fixing them. They damage tyres and wheels, and are even more dangerous for cyclists and…
A vehicle that you use for business purposes doesn’t have to be owned by the business. It doesn’t even have to be owned by you (although, that would mean that you can’t personally claim any expenses on that vehicle that…
Preferred hand position when driving in a straight line or reversing When driving forwards, the preferred position for your hands is at the quarter-to-three position with each hand either side of the steering wheel. Some wheels make this easy to…
Maybe you got 100% more baby than you bargained for. Maybe 200%. With any new child, you’re most likely going to have to say goodbye to your dreams of owning a two-seater sports car (at least, temporarily), but with two…
If you return and your vehicle is no longer there, it will either have been towed or stolen. If there’s no indication of theft (e.g. broken glass), look around for signage for clues, such as clearway, private parking, yellow lines…
Narrow streets and a lack of off-street parking are often causes of people parking on the footpath, so that they don’t get their wing mirrors clipped by other motorists. Unless there’s a dashed yellow line prohibiting parking, people are usually…
There are three types of parking: Bay parking Parallel parking Angle parking Bay parking Bay parking is perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to a kerb or structure (e.g. a building). In this case, it is safest to reverse in: When reversing…
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, a vehicle is considered as a place of work. Vehicles include roadgoing vehicles as well as off-road vehicles such as LUVs, forklifts and farm equipment. Statistics for incidents and accidents involving…
The Land Transport Act 1998 36A describes a number of antisocial vehicle-related activities which attract fines or other penalties. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are behind the wheel – you could be an ex-F1 driver and still be prosecuted.…
It’ll be a mental challenge for you when you first get in a car and drive on the other side of the road, but your brain will adapt quickly. There are just a few pitfalls you need to be aware…
While everyone knows that riding a motorbike comes with more risks of injury than driving a car, there are choices motorcycle riders can make that make crash risk much worse. Sports bikes: riders on these have a greater risk of…
Heading away snowboarding this winter? You’ll almost certainly need to drive on mountain roads, as you will if you are crossing the ranges for work or family visits. Roads on mountains vary from well-maintained state highways down to rough tracks.…
A hubo or hubodometer measures the distance a vehicle has travelled by counting axle revolutions and displaying them on a counter. In New Zealand, they must be calibrated to read in kilometres. How are hubodometers used? Accurate trailer mileage: trailers…
There are three ways to turn a corner on a motorbike and the method you use depends on your speed and how tight you want to turn. Using only the handlebars At speeds below 10-15km/h steering is mostly accomplished by…
Periodically an argument surfaces in the media that we should raise the minimum driving age (currently 16) to 17 or 18 like in the UK or Europe. We have a graduated driver licensing system or GDLS. This means that you…
What is a speed limiter? A speed limiter is a device that prevents a vehicle from exceeding a certain speed. Some vehicles have an electronic control that analyses road speed data and uses that to restrict engine power, while others…
The general speed limit tolerance has been 10km/h for automated cameras, however, according to the police, this has been reduced and they are remaining tight-lipped about what the actual tolerance is. There is no official tolerance used by road police…
Cars and trucks have blind spots that aren’t covered by the mirrors. When you open your car door, it can be a hazard to cyclists, scooter riders, motorcyclists and pedestrians. So, how do you ensure that you’ve seen anyone approaching,…
