Denis Ducharme, president of the Motor Dealers Association of Alberta, is looking at 2012 as a year when legislation prohibiting right hand drive (RHD) vehicles in the province is brought before the legislature.
Legislation was to go forward in the spring 2012 session of the Alberta Legislature. A recent election and change of cabinet ministers, however, put the proposed legislation on hold. “We won’t know until the new minister is briefed on the legislation and what his position is,” said Ducharme.
The association is hopeful that it will move forward in 2012, following other provinces that have brought in similar legislation.
The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) has been calling for the ban of RHD vehicles which have entered the country through a loophole that exempted vehicles 15 years or older from compliance with Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations. CADA wants the exemption extended to 25 years.
The 15-year exemption was originally set to allow the import of classic or collector vehicles. But, in recent years, RHD vehicles such as mini trucks, vans and other regular use vehicles are entering Canada and do not meet national safety and emissions standards. An Insurance Corporation of British Columbia study from 2007 found right-hand-drive vehicles were 40 per cent more likely to be involved in an accident in their lifetime than a similar left-hand-drive car.
The province of Quebec has prohibited RHD vehicles with the order coming into effect in April 2010 and exemptions had until March 2011 to register their vehicles. The province has also adopted a 25-year exemption rule.
Prince Edward Island in June 2010 followed with legislation banning RHD vehicles. At that time, Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Ron MacKinley said: “Many right-hand-drive vehicles do not meet North American safety and emissions standards and they are involved in more collisions than left-hand-drive vehicles.”
