Toronto Police answer queries on airbags, cycling and motorhomes

Oct 24, 2009

Comments on this story (3)

Special to the Star

Recently, Auto Know invited readers to submit questions for Toronto Police.

Here's what you had to say and what Sgt. Tim Burrows of Toronto Police Traffic Services said in reply.

Q: Last year, I was involved in a collision with a careless driver. I put my arm up to protect my face before impact, but when the airbag deployed, it broke my arm. I was also choking from the chemicals in the airbag.

Where should drivers put their arms to avoid airbag injuries? What is the chemical inside airbags?

A: Sgt. Burrows replies:

While people sometimes get hurt from airbags, the injuries these safety devices prevent are typically far greater than the ones they cause.

We advise police officers during training that the best hand placement is at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions on the steering wheel. This provides greater control over the vehicle and keeps your arms from being thrown back at you if the airbag deploys.

Airbags contain cornstarch or talcum powder to ensure smooth deployment. After the triggering device ignites, a harmless residue resembling smoke may be seen – which leads some occupants to mistakenly fear that the vehicle is on fire.

Q: I have always kept to the right side of the road on a bike to enable motorists to pass. But Toronto Police stated in the Star that cyclists are entitled to use the full lane and ride wherever in the lane they wish. Doesn't this contradict the Highway Traffic Act?

A: Sgt. Burrows replies:

There actually isn't a contradiction. What's missing is the complete answer, which often gets overlooked.

Section 147(1) HTA states that "any vehicle travelling upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at that time and place shall, where practicable, be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic or as close as practicable to the right hand curb or edge of the roadway."

So, bicycles have to stay in the right lane and as close to the curb or edge of roadway as practicable. However, when a bicycle has to move left inside the lane to avoid curbside obstacles or pass parked vehicles, they are legally within their right to do so.

On a narrow two-lane street with parked cars on one side, it's sensible that a cyclist would take or block the driving lane to avoid being "squeezed" between passing cars on their left and parked cars on their right.

Yes, drivers may honk and scream, but a cyclist is well within the law – as long as they move over when safe to do so.

Q: When is it legal to drink in a motorhome?

A: Sgt. Burrows replies:

You can drink in a motorhome as long as it is parked and being used as a residence. This does not mean stopping on the side of a road having a meal.

While the motorhome is in motion, all liquor has to be in a sealed or unopened container and stored in a manner that it is not accessible to any of the occupants.

If the motorhome is parked in a driveway, it reverts back to the actual intended use as a residence. What differentiates it from a car, truck, or other vehicle are its (permanent) cooking facilities and sleeping accommodations.

For further information on Toronto Police Traffic Services, such as child safety seats, Collision Reporting Centres, traffic safety programs, downloadable reporting forms and myriad other subjects go to: www.torontopolice.on.ca/traffic/

Email your non-mechanical questions

to Eric Lai at wheels@thestar.ca.

Due to the volume of mail, personal

replies cannot be provided.

Toronto Star