HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-03-01, Page 66 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, March 1, 2000
News
Highway Help program can make driving safer
By Carl Stavros
ainton News -Record Staff
Running out of gas.
Mechanical troubles. A flat
tire. All of these malfunctions
are synonymous with driving
and with the treachery of
winter upon us. these
relatively insignificant
problems can easily become a_
matter of survival.
But the Highway Help
Program (HHP) hopes' to save
distressed drivers in
.potentially dangerous or
threatening situations. A new
.sign created from durable
plastic with reflective writing
which notifies others on the
road that the police need to be
called was launched early last
week by the HHP and
endorsed by the Ontario
Provincial Police (OPP) and
the Canadian Association of
Police Chiefs.
"The sign clan be used to get
assistance," in case of
mechanical or other troubles.
explained Senior Constable.
Don Shropshall.
Although the OPP
recommend that drivers carry
cell phones. the Highway Help
Program's 'Call Police' sign
offers a means for those who
do not have cellphones of
receiving assistance from the
police. he .said. In
docwnentation provided by
the HHP. the sign is even
recommended for cell phone
users a5 a means of backup.. -
Prior to the creation of the
new sign, the- HHP's 'Call:.
Police` campaign hinged on a
less effective. method which
saw distressed travellers place
a less visible sign in their back
windo*, Shropshall explained.
The new signs are
manufactured from a light,
very durable plastic and have
the same reflective material as
Stop signs. Once in trouble,
motorists hang the 'Call
Police' sign out the window.
Shropshall stated that the
placement of the sign, in
combination with the
reflective material, allows
other drivers to easily notice.
the distress call even during
the dark. slushy hours of
winter.
"h is strongly recommended
for women travelling alone,"
said Shropshall, and at $4.99,
is a much cheaper alternative
to a phone. It is important, he
added, for the sign to be
carried inside the passenger
area of the vehicle, under the
scat or in seat or door pockets,
to ensure that it is on hand
when needed.
"If (the sign) is in the trunk,
that means you have to get out
of the car,.which.can set you
up for potential problems,"
Shropshall explained.
According to the the OPP,
there is no -need to worry
about the police actually being
contacted with the sign in
place as in one instance, the
police dispatch received over
eight calls from drivers who
spotted someone with the signi
on their car.
In documentation provided
to the News -Record; the HHP
dispel concerns of drawing
Campground building
set on fire in closet
While no shots were tired
in Seaforth, suspects in.a
couple paint ball gun. drive
by shootings were seen in
Seaforth last week.
The incidents began Feb.
19 at about 2 p'.rn. in
Goderich where a young man
walking on a residential street
had three paint pellets fired at
him. -one striking him on the
-.arm. leaving paint on his.
jacket. The shots were fired
by one of four young men in
a two-tone blue car.
At 4:15 p.m. a man riding a
bicycle on another street was
also shot by a paint gun 'as a
'blue coloured vehicle passed
-him. The -victim thought the
vehicle was a Pontiac 6000.
Two days later. a witness
on Adam Street in Seaforth
saw a pellet gun in the hands
of a youth passenger in a
maroon coloured. four -door
car. There were also four
youths in this. vehicle.
No one reported being
fired at with a -pellet gun in
Seaforth.
"Huron. OPP officers arc
concerned about this group of
youth that are roaming about
the arca and using a pellet'
and paint gun, shooting at
people," says an OPP press
release.
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A fire had been set in the
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On Feb. 27, the owner of.
the campground told OPP he
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dancehall had been pried
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Once inside, a fire had
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The owner was able to put
the fire out before it had
spread from the closet.
OPP are asking for the
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person who set the fire.
Anyone with information can
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Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-
8477.
Crimestoppers accpets
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'Puts 4„(,,ea T. Clay. %4s 1 intim
attention to your dire situation
by placing the sign on your
vehicle.
"The fact is you need help.
You have already drawn
attention to yourself by the
fact that you are stopped on
the side of the road. Anyone
wishirig to harm you already
knows you are in jeopardy. So,
instead of trying to ignore the
problem; take a proactive
approach and help yourself,"
the press release stated.
On occasion, Shropshall
said, private individuals
operating tow trucks that
cruise highways looking for
stranded motorists have been
known to be "Involved in
crime." The OPP officer stated
that motorists utilizing the
sign will be assisted by viable,
reputable companies called by
the police to assist you
wherever you may be
travelling. There are reports of
the sign working in the U.S. as
well.
Shropshall stated that what
makes the sign especially
effective is the willingness of
other drivers to call the police
when passing by a stranded
motorist using the sign. Cell
phone users need only dial
*667 to help instead of pulling
over to offer assistance. Calls
placed in Huron County will
be directed to the dispatch 'in
Mount Forest,. which will then
send a cruiser to help the
stranded motorist. explained
Shropshall.
Sample signs and program
documentation have been
placed in . county OPP
detachment offices in Clinton.
Exeter, Wingham, Seaforth
and Goderich. as well as the
Goderich Hwy. 21 location.
Samples and information are
provided for people interested
in .finding out more about the
signs and the program. 'Call
Police' signs are available for
purchase at all "Canadian Tire
locations. For more
information, contact your local
OPP detachment office or call
the Highway Help Program at
(519) 896-3190.
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