By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

'Dry Grads' - organized graduation parties that don't allow alcohol or drugs - grew out of the efforts of keeping teens from drinking and driving. Thankfully their popularity seems to be on the rise, although there are still plenty of young drivers out there who still haven't gotten the message, and teens still account for an abnormally high percentage of impaired driving deaths in Canada.

The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) decided two years ago to create a contest for local high schoolers to create three-minute pro-'Dry Grad' videos shot, produced, written by and starring students. With $7,000 in prize money being split between the top-three vote-getters earmarked to offsetting schools' Dry Grad costs, there were nearly 50 entries in this year's challenge.

The winning videos from George Elliot Secondary School in Oyama, B.C. ($4,000) and the two runners-up, Hugh McRoberts Secondary School in Richmond ($2,000) and New Westminster Secondary School ($1,000), are candid, graphic and have surprisingly high production values. 

All three videos are easily viewed on the BCAA Dry Grad page.

Which one is your favourite? Do you think this is a contest other regions should embrace? Let us know in the comments.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Gotta love the minor differences between Canadian provinces and territories when it comes to annual vehicle inspections or certifications. Sometimes it's the smallest things that can bring nothing more than wasteful financial outlays.

Cousins of mine just moved from north of Toronto back to Fredericton right after New Years, and after a couple weeks getting their new house in order, decided it was time to switch over their driver's licences and get New Brunswick plates for their two vehicles.

The 2005 Chevrolet Malibu had no trouble passing the provincial inspection, but they were given a conditional fail on their nearly new 2011 Kia Rondo. Huh?

Turns out the dealer in Ontario had sold them on window tinting; the rear doors and cargo area were pretty dark, but it was the barely altered front door windows that the inspectors took issue with. Apparently, front-window tints are now illegal in NB after years of allowing 14 per cent tints. Not sure what inspired the provincial government to make the changes, but that's left them with a pricey bill. They have two weeks to get the tint removed and have the Kia reinspected...

I understand that they took it upon themselves to alter the vehicle beyond how it was delivered from the manufacturer... Have you ever had issues like this? Or bought an out-of-province car that needed to be alterered before you could register it? Let us know!

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

I'm still getting used to living in a province that requires annual vehicle inspections, a point proven quite vividly this morning when I was pulled over not once, but twice - by the same officer, no less! - for having a burnt-out headlight. The headlight popped last night when I started the car to come home from visiting family, and made a mental note that I'd have to replace it today before the big snow and ice-storm hit.

This morning, while rushing a little to get my daughter to daycare, we passed an RCMP officer sitting in a driveway on the other side of the road, facing the opposing morning traffic. It only took a second for him to hit his emergency lights, which prompted some 'blue' language from my wife about me speeding... Turns out he'd spotted the lone headlight and that was the reason for him pulling me over. After fumbling around in the glove box and not finding my registration (the renewal sitting on our kitchen table) or insurance (new pink card effective Feb. 1 and on my desk) I figured it would be an expensive morning...

We did manage to find the documents, and he'd only prepared a written warning to have the headlight fixed "should you be pulled over by another officer" for the same issue.

You'd think that was the end of the story, right? Of course not. After dropping my daughter off at daycare, not 10 minutes after he let us go the first time, the very same officer pulled us over again coming back in the opposite direction. This time, I just put down my window, leaned over a little and held out the written warning. You could see the embarassment as he spotted his mistake. After a little wave of apology, we were back on our way.

Needless to say, I'm off to get those bulbs as soon as this post is finished...

Have you had similar experiences? Would love to hear about it in the comments!

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Anyone currently shopping for a new child car seat might be concerned and confused about the Federal government's new rules and regulations, and how they'll affect their children. It extended the deadline for manufacturers to implement the new regulations by a year (from January 1, 2011 to January 1, 2012) to ensure a proper inventory of compliant seats, allowing a year's grace period where seats could be built to either the older or newer standards.

But there's plenty of facts that aren't terribly clear or are being misreported...

Just because the new regulations are in effect, that doesn't mean that you need to rush out and replace your child's current car seat. Transport Canada says that the older regulations helped keep kids safe for years, and the only time replacement is required is if the car seat is in a vehicle that's been in a collision - even if your child wasn't in it - or if the seat has passed its expiry date. 

Without getting into too many specifics, the new testing standards are designed to reflect the increasing size and weight of Canadian children, and to put a stronger focus on side-impact protection. Any seat with a manufacturing date of January 1, 2012 or after and is marked with a Canadian standards sticker will comply. Seats built before, during the grace period, could be either or, but a call to the manufacturer is the easiest way to find out.

There's a pretty good FAQ page on TC's site that's worth a visit.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

It's amazing where you can pick up little tricks in the unlikeliest places... I received a newsletter from our real estate agent and after giving it the usual quick scan, I spotted a little article giving at-home money-saving tips on how to keep your car in better shape during the winter. Some of these I've tried, others sound good, some may require some more research on their effectiveness. But all are worth the time if they work for you!

1) If your door locks are frozen, spread some hand sanitizer on the key before putting it into the lock. Since the sanitizer is mostly alcohol, it doesn't freeze up, and will work at melting the ice crystals inside the cylinder.

2) Just because your windshield wipers are streaking and chattering across your windows doesn't mean they're necessarily ready for the trash. Wipe them off with rubbing alcohol to get rid of the grime, salt and other deposits that are caked on. They'll be good as new.

3) Smearing and wiping off a little shaving cream on your bathroom mirror will prevent it from fogging up when you shower, and the same applies to your car windows too. Coating the inside of your windshield will help, but will need to be reapplied more frequently than chemicals designed to do the same job.

4) Applying car wax to headlights is supposed to make them slippery enough that winter 'crud' doesn't stick. Knowing how important headlight performance is to safety, and how expensive modern units are to replace if something goes wrong, I'd test on an older car first. The key would be to make sure to buff out the wax properly to prevent the wax from fogging up, which would be just as bad for their output as road dirt. Your mileage may vary...

5) To keep windows frost free overnight, wipe them down with a mixture of three parts white vinegar and one part water. Vinegar is a miracle cleaner and degreaser, and its magical properties are still being discovered...

Bing: Find more winter car car advice here.

Do you have any other tips to share? Or have you tried successfully or unsuccessfully any of the advice given? Let us know.

The slow-selling 2012 Fiat 500 now has another obstacle in its sales path: It has been tagged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a three-star safety rating, the lowest of any new model tested so far.

The two-door subcompact received four stars from NHTSA for frontal crash and rollover accidents but received just two stars for side-impact crash safety, the agency announced on its Web site, safercar.gov.

The tests gave the car a combined overall safety rating of three stars, NHTSA reported. The outgoing Dodge Caliber and Ford Escape SUV were the only other 2012 model vehicles whose test results have been completed and released so far by the agency with three-star ratings.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

New York City has always been a world leader for comedy, politics and the arts. Now the city's Department of Transportation has revealed its latest attempt to capture the attention of pedestrians through a new means: humour.

Working with local artist John Morse, NYC commissioned 12 darkly fun danger signs along with accompanying Haiku - a Japanese poetry style that strictly uses five, seven and then four syllables per line. Check out some of the favourites in the photo above, and you can follow the link here to see the rest.

Bing: See more strange and funny traffic signs.

The DOT is positioning them in some of the most dangerous intersections around the Big Apple with the hope that a little chuckle will affect bad behavour better than traditional signage.

Which one is your favourite? Think this would work anywhere but NYC?

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Phil Edmonston's name isn't wildly popular, although millions of people rely on his work every year. Edmonston is the creator of the annual Lemon-Aid buying guides, and his opinions on new and used cars influence many people's buying decisions. For nearly 40 years, the Lemon-Aid books have included ratings based on owner reports, service bulletins, safety complaints and more.

The latest editions should be hitting store shelves now, but regular readers will be surprised by the scheduling of the 2012 guides. For the first time, Edmonston has released the new-car books before the used-car books. That's because the author claims that between the global recession, the production issues facing the Japanese automakers after last spring's tsunami, various safety concerns from massive recalls and more, most manufacturers are putting such large rebates and incentives on their new stock that it's almost as affordable as buying one used.

Bing: Learn more about Canada's 'lemon laws'

So have you used the Lemon-Aid guides before? Would you consider it again if you did? Did you know that there are books for new cars, not just used?

Photo courtesy nkzs at sxc.hu

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

We're lining up the quesitons for our readers here. Apparently, Kanatix.ca, a company that provides free car insurance quotes to Canadians, has discovered that 80 per cent of drivers admit to having a bad driving habit. What exactly does that mean? Speeding, road rage, texting while driving, eating and more.

Apparently the biggest ones are chowing down on some Timmies (39 per cent), then speeding (36 per cent). Unfortunately, 19 per cent of respondants are deluding themsevles because they answerd "None of the above - I am a perfect driver." No one is perfect...Even professional race drivers have personal coaches.

Bing: What are other bad driving habits?

Anyway, so what is your worst bad driving habit? Mine is speeding for sure, like most men surveyed. I'm also guilty of the eating thing too - drive-thrus are my weakness.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

These recent mornings sure are getting frosty - not quite ice-scraper worthy, but generally needing some serious defroster work before going anywhere. Starting around this time of the year, millions of Canadians will also pop outside before finishing their morning coffee to get the car started and warming - or take advantage of a remote-start system and do it while still in pyjamas. 

But there are several reasons why that's a bad idea. First, it's an opportunity for theives to make off with your ride without working too hard. That purring engine is a real attraction.

Second, having an ice-cold engine warm up in your driveway not only wastes expensive gasoline, but it's also pumping more bad emmissions into the atmosphere. All those expensive catalytic converters designed to scrub out the nasty particles aren't effective when cold, and won't warm up quickly at idle.

Third, it does more damage to your engine. The oil is cold and sitting at the bottom of the engine, not up in the 'guts' where it should be. Starting the car and letting it sit for only 20 seconds or so before you gently drive to work or school is a much better solution. An engine warms up quickest under a light load - i.e. driving - and that way all the other components of your car like the exhaust, transmission, axles, etc., warm up at the same rate.

Bing: Learn more about warming up your car properly.

This does pose a small challenge to those of us with small kids - namely how to keep children warm enough without resorting to the slow-idle method. We're not supposed to strap kids into car seats with puffy winter coats because the safety belts can't be tightened enough. So if a potentially jacket-less toddler is already protesting loudly about how cold they are, you have to be at least a little sympathetic with parents choosing the 'lesser' headaches of warming the car before strapping in the offspring compared to doing things 'properly'.

A block heater would help - that way the engine will need less time to get up to temperature.

How would you deal with this situation?