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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. It's 0 ANNIVERSARY :SALE SUNW(1RTHY 1 Oo/ 0 S(1I'lllgS On .1 11 I1 it Illlriprer Book O,-th'rs FRrl ►�li;�%v' Come in and Save even more on our in-store specials. HUNDREDS OF ROLLS IN STOCK Wfr4t9 Save Now With These Cash Prices HILDEBIAND PAINT AND PAPER 'Interior and Exterior Decorators" Main St. Seaforth 527-1880 "We.want to bring this to a h alt before someone gets seriously hurt." Family Paradise Camp building set on fire A fire had been set in the dancehall building after a break and enter at Family Paradise Camp in McKillop Township. On Feb. 27, the owner of. the campground told OPP he had ben away that day but returned to find a door to the dancehall had been pried open. Once inside, a fire had leen set in a cleaning closet in the kitchen area of the facility: The owner was able to put the fire out before it had spread from the closet. OPP are asking for the public's help finding the person who set the fire. Anyone with information can call the OPP are Crimestoppers at 1-800-222- 8477. Crimestoppers accpets anonymous tips and does not use call display. Tici) NEPIVORi. PER PHEPY,L5 5c)FTJt1-.r?E LAPTOPS �o COMPU TERS Hoii & Office &�pittr Prodic5 & Stnict 3'0!Iiin Si. Fur(. 16i Book St.Strufotd 21i4991 213.1111 TRO COMPUTERS INCLUDE 2 Year PartsII.abour Warranty Modern: 56K PCI HOST Samsung Monitor. 17" .27dp Keyboard, Floppy Drive Software: Antivirus SPECIAL 2 Pieces of Software Included V. th Ev New S stem K6 Value System 'CPU: 450MHZ AMD K6I1 • Hard Drive: 10 GIG •15" Monitor $1399 P111 Value System 'CPU: 500MHZ Intel PILI 'Hard Drive: 13 GIG Uttradma 15" Monitor $1700 Call For I I PAYMENT for W1 W. Details! '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. For real peace of mind,, Loa tor this Svlilbol 01 protection. We provide insurance protection that lets you sleep at night. 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