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Huron Expositor, 2014-11-12, Page 11OPP seek public assistance in helping to keep winter roads safe After responding to over 33,000 road collisions last winter, the Ontario Provin- cial Polics (OPP) is asking road users to be part of the solution in order to reduce the number of preventable collisions this winter. According to police, it was poor driving behaviour, not poor weather or road conditions, which was the primary contributing factor in many of last winter's sin- gle and multi -vehicle crashes, taking an unrelent- ing toll on road users and the movement of traffic, as well as the provincial social costs associated with motor vehicle collisions. Between Dec. 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014, a total of 33,334 collisions occurred on OPP-patrolled roads compared to 25,953 colli- sions over the same four- month period in 2012-2013. The crashes resulted in deaths and numerous seri- ous injuries. Among the injured were OPP officers, who responded to these crash scenes and whose cruisers were struck by drivers who failed to adjust their speed to the conditions. The OPP will be working closely with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to ensure roads are kept as safe as possible over the winter months, but the OPP admits they cannot do this alone. "No other road safety partner can have as strong an influence on reducing the number of collisions during winter as drivers can through positive driving behaviour," said OPP Dep- uty Commissioner Brad Blair, Provincial Com- mander of Traffic Safety and Operational Support. "During the winter months, the way people drive needs to be very different than the way they drive the rest of year. If every driver makes this critical change this winter, we will not have another chaotic winter that ends with a staggering number of collisions and the associated injuries and deaths." Over the winter months, the OPP will be providing a steady flow of safety-related tips, information and reminders on its social media sites in an effort to keep motorists on track with safe driving behaviour and to keep them informed about winter driving issues on our roads. According to police, one strong and recurring mes- sage people can expect to hear over winter is the need for every driver to adjust their speed and slow right down when visibility and road conditions deteriorate and to avoid non-essential travel during these periods. "The safety of our roads is always a top priority and we continue to work closely with our road safety part- ners to promote safe and responsible winter prac- tices," said Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transpor- tation. "Please stay alert, slow down and drive according to road and weather conditions." The OPP will also be encouraging drivers to use MTO's Ontario 511 Traveler Information Services, which provides easy access to up-to-date winter infor- mation on road conditions and road closures on pro- vincially maintained roads. Ontario 511 also provides voice-activated, hands-free service. Drivers are expected to observe Ontario cell phone laws when using the service while on the road and are encouraged to pull over to a safe location to use it as the safest option. For more information, please visit the OPP's Cor- porate Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ ontarioprovincialpolice. While the OPP, the MTO and drivers all play differ- ent roles in keeping winter roads safe, the goal is the same for all: safe drivers and safe winter roads that are free of collisions, inju- ries and deaths. seaforthhuronexpositor.com Wednesday, November 12, 2014 • Huron Expositor 11 Chad J. 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