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The Times Advocate, 2004-01-28, Page 31Wednesday, January 28, 2004 Exeter Times -Advocate 31 Personal safety at home, on the street and at work Personal safety is a concern for all of us. A lot can be achieved by using com- mon sense. Be aware of your surround- ings at all times and do not place your- self in situations, which might jeopar- dize your safety. At home • Don't unlock your door to strangers. Learn to speak through the closed door. It's not impolite; it is safer. Verify identi- fication of visitors, sales and service peo- ple. Check with the company to see if they sent a representative. If a stranger asks to use your phone, do not allow the person into your home. Offer to make the call for them. • Install quality locks and use them. Avoid chain locks. They present little deterrent to an aggressive person. • Your door should be equipped with a door viewer. • Don't hide keys outside. Leave them with a trusted neighbour. • Secure all windows. Draw window shades or drapes after dark and don't leave accessible windows open when you are away or asleep. • Don't reveal personal information to anyone on the phone or at your door. On the street • Plan your route and avoid short cuts through parks, vacant lots or unlit areas. • Know where the police stations or after hours stores are located. • Avoid being alone if you can. Get a friend to accompany you. If they can't, let them know the route you're taking. Call when you arrive. • Don't carry large sums of money or unnecessary valuables. Use cash alter- natives such as debit cards. • Don't carry a purse; use waistbelts instead. • Don't leave purses unattended in shopping carts or on store counters. • If someone grabs your purse, do not resist. Using bank machines • Whenever possible, use bank machines in visible and active areas during active periods. • If you must use a bank machine dur- ing inactive periods, consider using a drive-through. • Avoid after hours access to bank machines where you are not visible or cannot see into the bank machine area prior to entering it. • Avoid using bank machines in areas you are unfamiliar with at night. • If you absolutely must access a bank machine after hours in an unfamiliar area, consider using the buddy system or drive around the area before you access your cash or get out of your car. • Avoid using a bank machine if the door lock seems defective. • Be prepared to start your banking as soon as you arrive at the machine. • Be aware of your surroundings and always make sure that no one has the opportunity to see you entering your pin number or look over your shoulder. • Don't leave anything behind. Workplace • Avoid isolated or deserted stairways. • Call security or the police if you see someone in the building you don't recog- nize. • If working after hours, keep all doors and windows locked. • Try to arrange to have a co-worker stay with you. • When finished working, go to your vehicles together. Ensure the other is safely in their vehicle and on their way before you leave. Leave together if possi- ble. • If the company has security, advise them you're working late and ask if they can check in on you periodically. • Advise security when you're leaving and have them escort you to your vehi- cle. • If alone, contact your family or a friend and tell them you'll be working late and will call before you leave. Tell them your route home. Using elevators •While waiting for an elevator, stand off to the side; this gives you the oppor- tunity to view and removes your obliga- tion to enter if you are unsure of the occupants. If in doubt concerning people in an elevator, wait for the next elevator. • If someone gets on the elevator after you and you're not comfortable with him or her, get off. Stand near the control panel. • If confronted, push all the floor but- tons and the emergency button. Do not push the stop button; you may get trapped between floors. Before entering your car • Keep your vehicle in good repair, including plenty of gas and maps. • Check your vehicle's fluid levels and tire pressure regularly. • Obtain a "call police" sign and emer- gency kit in the event of a break down. • Carry an ice scraper and shovel in your car during the winter months. • Buy a cellular telephone and keep the batteries charged. Consider a ciga- rette lighter adapter to save batteries. • Have your keys in hand so you do not have to linger before entering your car. • View the interior of your vehicle before entering to ensure no one is hid- ing inside, even if the doors were locked. Visually check the outside as well. In your vehicle • Always lock your car after entering and when leaving it. • Keep the windows closed. • Know your route and follow it. • Never pick up hitchhikers. • When parking, keep in mind what the environment will be like when you return. • If possible, back into the spot for a clearer view upon exiting. If you're stranded • Keep doors locked and windows rolled up, if you open your window; only open it to the point of breaking the seal, no further. • If a stranger offers to help, do not get out of your car. Ask the person to call for assistance or advise them the police are on the way. • Place a "call police" sign in the win- dow. • Remember 911 on a cellular tele- phone does not give police your location. Know where you are so emergency ser- vices can locate you. • Do not stop to offer help to a strand- ed motorist. Call for assistance for them. If you're followed • Do not drive home. You do not want this person to know where you live. • If you suspect someone is following you, drive to the nearest police station, open service station, or drive-in restau- rant. Stay in your vehicle and use the horn to draw attention to yourself. • Try to obtain the licence plate num- ber of the vehicle following you, as well as make, model, colour and a descrip- tion of the driver. Road rage • Pay attention to your driving. Do not drive while talking on your cell phone. • Keep to the right when driving at the speed limit. • Avoid tailgating, flashing headlights or cutting other people off. • Switch the radio station if you're being aggravated by what your hear. • Use your signals and be courteous. • If someone is acting aggressively towards you, avoid eye contact while driving. • If someone approaches your vehicle acting aggressively, drive away. • Do not leave the relative safety of your vehicle. • Do not issue or respond to verbal taunts. • Get a description of the vehicle and occupant(s) including licence plates. Parking • Always make a mental note of where you've parked. • If you are in a parking structure, know where the nearest exit is and where you intend to go before you exit your vehicle. •Try to walk to your vehicle in pairs. Public transportation • Know the schedules and sit near the driver. During the evening hours ask the driver to let you off near your desti- nation as part of their request stop pro- gram. • Use caution in conversations with strangers. Avoid giving your name, address, or place of employment. Avoid clothing or items that identity you or your profession. • Have someone meet you at your stop. Drunk driving -Good news and bad news OTTAWA - While drunk driving is still a serious prob- lem on our roads, progress is being made. In 2000, the number of deaths in road crashes that involved a drink- ing dropped below 900 for the first time on record; this is about 30 per cent of all traffic fatalities. About half of those killed were drinking drivers. A further quarter were passengers of drinking drivers. Recently released statistics for 2002 show impaired driving is going down, but is still the largest category of criminal offences: • The rate of impaired driving incidents reported by police was 65 per cent lower than its peak in 1981. • The number of deaths and injuries related to impaired driving have gone down by almost half since 1986 despite increasing numbers of drivers and vehicles. • Impaired driving accounted for about 12 per cent of all cases heard in court, making it the largest category of offences (53,000 out of a tota1 452,000). • Impaired driving also had the highest conviction rate- -73 per cent, compared to 60 per cent for all Criminal Code offences. The Canada Safety Council credits the progress to sev- eral factors: strong commitment from all stakeholders; changing attitudes and behaviors with respect to drink- ing and driving; effective public education and the public awareness programs; and police enforcement. The country's aging population is another factor in the down- ward trend. Drivers over age 65 have the lowest rates of impaired driving. Socially unacceptable Drinking and driving has become socially unaccept- able. Police checks over the holiday season find less than one per cent of all drivers have a blood alcohol concen- tration (BAC) or 0.05 or higher with about one in five of these above the criminal limit of 0.08. High -BAC drivers (i.e. those with BACs over 0.15) rep- resent about one per cent of the cars on the road at night and on weekends, but nearly half of all drivers killed at those times. Most drinking drivers fall into one of two major categories: the young and the hardcore. Over half of all impaired driving charges are against drivers 19 to 24 years old. Most provinces require a zero BAC for novice drivers. This creates a mindset among some that obtaining a permanent licence means they are allowed to drink and drive. Moreover, under graduated licensing, many young drivers reach the legal drinking age around the same time as they qualify for their per- manent licence. Those in the hardcore group repeatedly drive after drinking, with BACs that are two and three times the legal limit. Many are alcohol dependent, have previous impaired driving convictions and have driven while sus- pended. These individuals pose a complex and resistant safety challenge. Canada has no national law covering all aspects of drinking and driving. In our federal system, different lev- els of government are responsible for different parts of the problem. A national strategy We do, however, have a national strategy. The Strategy to Reduce Impaired Driving (STRID) is a joint initiative by federal, provincial and territorial governments as well as road safety organizations including the Canada Safety Council. STRID is an initiative of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), which receives its mandate from the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. Since it began in 1990, STRID has provided leadership in the fight against impaired driving. Needless to say, STRID is focusing on hardcore drinking drivers and younger drivers. The federal government has authority for the Criminal Code of Canada. Impaired driving is considered a crime. For example, driving with a BAC over 0.08 is a criminal offence. The Constitution of Canada prevents provinces and territories from creating offences relating directly to BAC levels because such offences fall under the Criminal Code. Provinces and territories can enact laws relating to property and civil rights. They regulate driving on provincial roads. Through their highway acts, they use their licensing authority to suspend drivers who exceed provincially or federally, established BAC limits. Every jurisdiction in Canada has enacted legislation related to drinking and driving, short of creating offences. Provinces impose licence suspensions for drivers con- victed of criminal blood alcohol offences, and most impose temporary suspensions at BACs below the crimi- nal level of 0.08. In most Canadian provinces it is impermissible (but not a criminal offence) for ordinary drivers to operate or have care or control of a motor vehicle at levels around 0.05. A recent survey found less than half of Canadians realize there was a lower alcohol limit in their province at which police can suspend driving privileges; only six per cent know what that limit is. Most common penalty Fines were the most common penalty imposed for impaired driving offences in 2001/02. In about 77 per cent of cases a fine was the "most serious" sentence. However, provincial and territorial sanctions supple- ment the Criminal Code and often have more serious personal consequences than a fine. The mere fact of having a criminal conviction carries a lifelong stigma that can limit job and travel opportunities. Prison sentences varied considerably across the coun- try. For instance, in Prince Edward Island, 91 per cent of those convicted of impaired driving received a prison sentence, compared with only four per cent in Nova Scotia. However, provinces which imposed imprison- ment more often also tended to use shorter sentences. For example, in Prince Edward Island the average sen- tence length was 17 days, while in Nova Scotia it was 182 days. Provincial and federal sanctions are providing a well thought-out mix of effectiveness, efficiency and severity. However, impaired driving is a complex problem with no simple solutions. Canada was come a long way, but still has a long way to go. All indications are that Canada has effective laws in place.