Questioning safety with right hand drive vehicles

Safety on the road is undoubtedly important, but does it become compromised if you are driving from the opposite side of the car?

The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) says yes. On Wednesday, they called upon the Canadian government to address a regulatory loophole that allows thousands of right hand drive (RHD) vehicles to be imported into the country every year.

The association calls the vehicles "dirty and unsafe."

The loophole allows vehicles over 15 years old to enter the country without complying with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety standards or national environmental standards.

Murray Savage of the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council says this is long overdue.

"We’ve had so many issues with the right hand drive vehicles. It’s just my opinion, along with many I’ve worked alongside with, that they just not come into Canada at all," Murray said.

An Edmonton man who owns a 1993 RHD BMW doesn’t see the danger in his vehicle – unless it’s in the way you drive it.

"It’s not unsafe unless someone is driving it in a manner that is unsafe," Nicholas Ritchie told Global News.

Around 2000-3000 right-handed cars are imported into Canada every year. About six of every ten RHD vehicles in Canada are driven in one of the three Western provinces.