Michael McAleer helps readers with their motoring problems
I have often wondered why car brake lights don't light up when you put on the handbrake. Surely in these days of motoring safety it makes sense.
When stopped at traffic lights or any other hold up one should surely apply their hand brake rather than keeping your foot on the brake pedal, which can be dangerous if someone bumps into the back of you.
It also makes sense to have your brake lights activated especially if you are the last car in the queue. "Be safe, be seen" is surely applicable here too?
I wonder what Help Desk thinks of this?
- Leslie McQueston, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16
It certainly seems a very good idea and appropriate in the context of the campaigning about lights on at daytime
The only problem we can see is that when parked, tthe long-term usage of the lights may run down the battery.
Currently, a car parked left for a long time with the indicators on will run the battery down in a matter of hours.
As for stopping at traffic lights, it certainly sees a sensible idea. We will be asking that question of the manufacturers in the coming week.
I'm a 23-year-old male who has been driving a Yamaha Dragstar for the last two years. I have recently passed the entry stage motor bike test which is the A1 licence.
What I would like to know is what power output of bike I would be able to move up to after passing that test.
- Peter Fegan, Howth
Thanks to our great engine regulator rules, the answer is that on his existing full A1 licence he's stuck with a 125 cc machine. According to John Wheeler, to upgrade his bike, Peter must:
Get an A provisional licence, which also entails taking the theory test.
Do the test on a machine over 125 cc.
Even then, after passing the 'A test', he will be restricted for two years to a machine with a power output not exceeding 25 kW.
Meanwhile, he could drive a Ferrari today on a B provisional.
An article in the MOTORS on May 15th 2001 referred to the method of disposing of old cars.
I took your suggestion and contacted Wicklow Co Council to dispose of an old car. I was informed that in rural places the council do not dispose of old cars.
They gave me the number for a recycling company in Wexford to contact but made the point that this was not a recommendation.
Obviously the environment section of Wicklow Co Council do not have a policy for the disposal of old cars.
- Robert Murphy, Wicklow
It would seem that recent rule changes mean local authorities cannot dispose of old cars in their landfills. Therefore, Wicklow Co Council only handle stolen or illegally dumped cars, and use a firm in Co Wexford, Leon Recycling.
We recently published a query from a reader enquiring about reversing aids, the bleepers that tell you when you are too near an object at the rear of the car.
Since then, Gerard Ussher of BSS in Blackbanks, Dublin 15, has contacted us.
His firm offers sensors for vehicles which they claim can be attached by any competent DIY enthusiast.
The device comes with a choice of two or four sensors, with prices ranging from €150 to €185. Instructions on installation are also provided. It would seem to us a useful accessory to avoid those nasty rear-end bumps and scrapes.