Zurich Citizens News, 1977-03-30, Page 4e4
Citizens I"iew$, March 3O 1977
Bicycles
Kids, bicycles and cars; cars, kids and
bicycles, any way you put them together
you have a deadly combination.
Every spring and summer hundreds of
children are invlved in accidents while
riding on their bikes, and many hundreds
more have some close calls.
This is the time of year the bicycles are
starting to appear and this means drivers
will have to be extra cautious as children
have a knack for doing the unexpected.
However, the onus is not entirely on the
driver of the car or truck to be careful. It is
the responsibility of the parent to ensure
their child is fully aware of the respon-
siblities which come with bike riding.
Too often I have heard children and
parents as well say they are not too con-
cerned with riding bicycles on the road, es-
pecially on side roads, as there is not a lot
of traffic. It only takes one careless bicycle
rider and one car to have an accident, why
take the chance.
Bicycles should be ridden in single file on
the right hand side of the road, not in
bunches across the road and never with one
child on one side and another on the other.
Teach your children the proper hand
signals and then see that they use them. It
is very important on a bicycle to make sure
there are no cars pulling up quickly behind
you before and turn left into your own
gateway. You may know you always turn
there but everyone else does not.
If you allow your children to ride their
bikes at night make sure there are lights
front and back on those bikes, or reflectors
at least and caution them to be very
careful.
No one likes to attend funerals, especial-
ly in the spring. Let's see if this year we
can avoid a few, all it takes is some com-
mon sense, and some parents who care.
Collisions
The Goderich detachment of the OPP has
put out a statement saying the offenceof
"following too close" was directly or in-
directly involved in 70 percent of the ac-
cidents in Huron County between October
and May of Last year. In the summer
months it was even worse. Between May
and October following too closely was
directly or indirectly involved in 80 percent
of all reported collisions.
This is a very serious matter, and
whether you were involved in any of those
collisions or not, it cold be costing you
money. Everyone pays for increasing colli-
sion costs and numbers through higher in-
surance premiums. So, by following too
closely behind the car in front of you, you
are placing yourself in a good position to
have an accident and you could be costing
all of us a lot of money unnecessarily.
The Highway Traffic Act reads, "The
driver or operator of a motor vehicle shall
not follow another, vehicle more closely
than is reasonable and prudent having due
regard for the speed of such vehicle and the
traffic on and the conditions of the
highway."
In other words, if the car ahead of you
stops suddenly, will you be able to stop in
time or will you end up as part of his trunk?
The Safety League of Ontario estimates
leaving a minimum of one car length or 20
feet for every 10 MPH while following
another vehicle on the highway should be
reasonably safe.
The fine of following too closely in Huron
County is a minimum of $28.00 and max-
imum $103 and a demerit point total of
four.
Ifou are charged with careless
Y g driving,
the fine is $108 minimum fine and six
demerit points. The charge of careless
driving generally fits a rear end collision
according to the OPP.
So do us all a favour and check your
following distance and speed taking into
consideration the conditions on the road.
It only makes sense to avoid slamming
into someone else's trunk, especially when
you are the one going to be charged for do-
ing it, Drive defensively, you could save us
all a lot of money.
Smoking Ban
Will wonders never cease, sanity is moving closer. Did
you all notice in the Free Press a little notice concerning
Stratford"s council's consideration of a by-law to ban smok-
ing in public places?
They did not make a decision concerning the by-law as
yet, but just the fact they would consider it at all is a step in
the right direction. Look out smokers, here we come!
Spring is here, which means spring housecleaning is here,
and there are perhaps a few things mothers could keep their
eyes outfor during that spring cleaning—books.
Library hooks from both public and high schools have a
strange tendancy to walk away during the winter months
getting themselves lost. In Exeter's South Huron District
High School $5,264 worth of books disappeared from the
library last year and at Clinton's Central Huron there were
$6,240 worth of books missing.
The students may believe there is no harm in taking the
books and not returning them, but they really should have
more regard for their fellow students. If a book is not in the
library then it cannot be enjoyed by anyone using that
library.
However, the worst part of neglecting to return library
books is the money aspect. It's mom and dad who pay for
those missing books in the form of higher taxes, something
the student just might not have considered.
So mothers. it is in your pockets own best interest to
gather up those misplaced books, if you find them, and
return them to the school. The dollar you save could be your
own.
Have any of you ever seen a dialysis machine? It is
designed to flush the impurities out of your body, something
your kidneys usually do. Many people whose kidneys are not
working properly must go on that machine every day, at a
cost of thousands of dollars. Those same dollars would go a
long way towards the cost of kidney transplants, if there
were enough kidneys available.
The problem is, to be useable for transplant the kidneys
must be removed within an hour of death, which means you
have to think ahead.
Why not sign the card which comes with your license giv-
ing permission to have parts of your body available for
transplants. Why deny someone else the right to live a hap-
pier life, after your's has ended. Burying perfectly good
organs in a casket to me seems to be the height of
selfishness. Think about it. . 4
41(
I have been asked by a several people around the village
to once again mention the litter on our village streets. We
need garbage cans, granted, but where there are garbage
cans, let's see if we can hit them. Put your litter where it
belongs—in the garbage, or some day you might discover
your neighbours have gotten even by covering your proper-
ty with garbage. Fair is fair.
For all you budding genius out there, tackle this one. Take
Long John Silver, a milking stool, a bed and yourself and
arrange them in a LOGICAL order. Believe me there is one
and it is very logical. You have a whole week to figure it out
so good luck.
Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
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Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
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