They are in excellent mechanical shape with low mileage, but used right-hand-drive vehicles from Japan are raising safety concerns in British Columbia.

Provincial officials are concerned the vehicles might be dangerous in passing situations and have asked Transport Canada to step in.

Mike Woods, manager for vehicle inspections in the province, said that while there's no evidence of accidents caused by right-hand-drive vehicles, officials need more time to determine their safety record.

"There is some concern, and the Insurance Corp. of B.C. is probably looking at that quite closely, and I'm certain that the Insurance Bureau of Canada is also looking into it," Woods said.

Some officials worry the cars may be dangerous when passing because the driver's range of vision is limited on the outside of the road.

All cars imported from Japan —where motorists drive on the left-hand side of the road — are at least 15 years old because federal laws place restrictions on newer cars.

However, B.C. officials have asked Transport Canada to extend that to 25 years in an attempt to reduce the number of right-hand-drive cars entering the province.

About 175 Japanese right-hand-drive cars are registered in B.C. every month — a number that has grown steadily, provincial officials say.

One of them is owned by Thomas Nottelman, who imported his 16-year-old Toyota Corolla and several other cars from Japan. Because Japan has tough mechanical regulations and regular inspections, he said, its second-hand cars are prized.

Many of them have "never seen an accident, they've never seen dirt, they certainly don't have any rust, and they're exceptionally low mileage," Nottelman said.

"So you can't buy anything comparable here, unless you happen to find a little old lady's car."