| FAQ |
| Friday, 06 June 2008 23:50 | |
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The Frequently Asked Question section is constantly being updated with customer concerns
From the Kei Car Wikipedia article: "Kei car, K-car, or keijidōsha (literally "light automobile") (軽自動車 keijidōsha ?) (pronounced /keːdʑidoːɕa/), is a Japanese category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans ("microvans") and pickup trucks. They are designed to exploit local tax and insurance relaxations, and are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle.[1][2] These standards originated in the times following the end of the Second World War, when most Japanese could not afford a full-sized car yet had enough to buy a motorcycle. To promote the growth of the car industry, as well as to offer an alternative delivery method to small business and shop owners, kei car standards were created. The cars feature yellow licence plates, earning them the name "yellow-plate cars" (black numbers on yellow background for private use and yellow numbers on black background for commercial use) in English and Spanish-speaking circles.[2][3][4] Because the regulations only restrict physical size, engine displacement and power, manufacturers have introduced many advanced technologies to the class. As a result, kei cars are often available with forced induction engines, automatic and CVT transmissions, front-, rear- and four-wheel drive, hybrid drivetrains, air conditioning, GPS and many other features. Daihatsu, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Smart,[5] Subaru, and Suzuki all manufacture kei cars, while Nissan sells badge engineered versions of Mazda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki models under licence.[6]"
How come they are used and not new? Due to Canadian laws vehicles less than 15 years old can only be imported from the United States, and only if they are on Transport Canada's admissible vehicles list. Vehicles older than 15 years to the month they were manufactured can be imported from any country. These vehicles don't have to comply with Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) regulations but need to comply with provincial regulations before they can be licensed for road operation.
That was year selected by the Department of Finance.
I have been trying to verify the statements mentioned on Transport Canada's Review of the 15-Year Exclusion for Imported Vehicles but I haven't been able to. "The Department of Finance regulations prohibit the importation of used vehicles less than 15 years old from all countries"
Should I be concerned about safety? Yes. Safety should be a huge concern with any motor vehicle regardless of its origin. When looking at safety though you shouldn't be comparing modern domestic vehicles to foreign 15 year old vehicles. A more realistic comparision would be to compare a foriegn 15 year old vehicle that met Canadian import requirements 15 years ago, to a recently imported 15 year old vehicle. The safety protection of my wifes 1991 left hand drive Honda Civic for example, would be on par with a similar era vehicle imported from Japan. A 1991 Volkswagen Westfailia is another good example. Regardless of the improvements in modern vehicles one has to realize that there is no replacement for driver caution.
I've heard that right had drive cars are dangerous to drive here? I have heard this before and it seems to be based on a sound arguement, but when you stand back and look at the entire issue it doesn't really make sense. The main argument is that it is hard to pass or turn left because of reduced visibility but regardless of which side of the vehicle you sit on, it still comes back to the driver to make the right call. If you can't see, don't proceed.
ICBC (Insurance Corporation of Britsh Columbia) says your are 40% more likely to crash? ICBC did release a report stating that RHD have a 40% greater chance of crashing. Unfortunately their report appears to be flawed as they don't seem to correctly take into account the style of car or the age of the driver, nor did they release the raw data of independant verification. For example their report states the following: PO = Principal Operator "The PO groups consisted of 574 and 7,988 drivers with ≥1 year policy connection for the RHD and LHD vehicles respectively. Table 5 below shows that approximately 20% of the POs of RHD vehicles were under age 25, while in the LHD group the POs under 25 made up only 9% of the group." It is a known fact that young inexperienced drivers cause more accidents, hence the reason why insurance for new drivers is typically higher for unmarried men and drivers under 25 years old. This is further compounded as a significant number of sports cars comprise the total number for Japanese imported vehicles. If 16 to 25 year old kids could by a 300HP+ left hand drive North American car with 50,000km on it for under 10,000 dollars I'm guessing their data would be comparable.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 15 July 2008 11:05 ) |