Loading...
Clinton News Record, 2016-05-25, Page 9OPP UPDATES - The public is being urged to get their unused and expired prescription medica- tions out of their homes and out of the hands of those the drugs are not prescribed for. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will be supporting Pre- scription Drug Drop Off Day again this year by part- nering with other police and health agencies throughout the province to reduce the availability of pharmaceuti- cal products. On Saturday, May 21 the OPP will be making several detachment sites availa- ble for residents to dispose of unused and expired pre- scription medication in a secure and environmentally - friendly manner. Huron County OPP will be col- lecting unused and expired prescription medication at the Rexall Pharma Plus located at 67 Kingston Street in Goderich. Officers will be on site that day collect- ing the unused medication between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Certain prescription drugs like opioids, stimulants and sedatives are associated with serious harms such as addiction, overdose and death. Recent research in the United States estimates the annual cost of the non- medical use of prescription opioids to be more than $50 billion, with lost productiv- ity and crime accounting for 94 percent of this amount. In Canada where these pre- scription drugs are readily available, their associated harms have become a lead- ing public health and safety concern. Should you have any ques- tions about this important community safety initiative please contact the Huron OPP Detachment at (519) 524-8314 or toll free at 1-888-310-1122. Please note: Unwanted medication can be dropped off at pharmacies through- out Ontario at any time of the year. - The OPP fatality data for motorcyclists and off-road vehicle deaths reveals that the behaviour of drivers on and off the road is respon- sible for the overwhelming majority of the deaths. Over the past ten years (2006-2015), there have been 267 motorcycle and 167 off-road vehicle (ORV) rider deaths in collisions investi- gated by the OPP. With motorcycle and ORV enthusiasts on the roads in large numbers over the long weekend, the OPP is shed- ding light on some eye- opening facts about deaths among these two categories of recreational vehicle users. • Too many safe motorcy- clists paying the price. Sadly, last year (2015) marked the first year that more than half of the motor- cyclists who have died in OPP-investigated colli- sions these past ten years were killed through no fault of their own. A total of 27 motorcyclists and four pas- sengers lost their lives last year, with a record 17 of those motorcycle drivers reported as driving properly at the time of the crash that ended their lives. • Little change in leading causes of motorcycle deaths. Various causal factors came into play in these fatal crashes, with loss of con- trol (33), speed (30), failing to yield (28) and driver inatten- tion (26) leading the list over the ten-year period. While DrivingYOUR ROADMAP TO ALL THINGS AUTO NEWS *** REVIEWS/ �1_ COMPARISONS/ THE BLUFFS AT HURON A Parkbridge Community Lakeside community living at its best. MOVE IN SUMMER 2016 Don't miss another spectacular sunset. FROM THE 70,000s REGISTER FOR UPDATES: www.TheBluffsAtHuron.com Par ridge Your bridge to smarter living CaII for an appointment today! Realty Executives Platinum 519-235-4949 Wednesday, May 25, 2016 • News Record 9 these causal factors can be attributed to either the motor- cyclist or the driver(s) of other vehicle(s) involved in the col- lision, the bottom line is that motorcyclists and other driv- ers need to do a better job of sharing the road safely. • The hard truth about ORV ejection and no helmet. Ten-year ORV data revealed that off-roaders in large num- bers continue to ride without helmets, with 74 of the 167 deceased riders found wear- ing no helmet at the time of the crash. With the vast majority (154) of those who died being ejected from their vehicle, the OPP remains con- cerned about the significant number of off-roaders who may falsely believe they can survive serious head trauma better than those who are ejected from other types of motorized vehicles. Among the deceased ORV drivers over the past ten years, 69 of them were reported as having lost control of their vehicle. The data also revealed that 69 of the fatali- ties involved a driver who had consumed alcohol before or during their ride. Of the rid- ers who have died these past ten years, 16 of them were innocent passengers, some of whom were not victims of an inevitable "accident" but rather victims who died as a result of irresponsible driving behaviour. • Teen and youth deaths. Sadly, 25 of the deceased ORV riders these past ten years were teenagers and some of the victims were even younger. These tragic, pre- ventable deaths speak to the importance of all ORV users respecting the law and set- ting excellent examples for children who are being intro- duced to off-roading, whether as a new rider or a passenger. CAN YOUR WEBSITE BE VIEWED ON A MOBILE DEVICE? 89% of Canadian smartphone users search for local business information.* Are your customers finding you while on the go? Generate more business by giving your customers anywhere access to your website. Clinton News Record can help you optimize your website for mobile visitors Get started today by calling 519.482.3443 ext 527303 or visiting postmediaadvertising,com/DMS POS1 MED IA