Community Column by Don Butt (April 2012)

Town of Mono, ON (Mono Community Policing Committee) I have some complaints (when don’t I?) about drivers. Have you ever started to back out of a parking spot and, even though you are half way out, someone drives between you and the next row? You come very close to hitting them and why could they not wait 2 seconds for you to straighten out. Also, pedestrians walk between your moving car and the next row . You are moving backward, your backup lights are on, and they still dare you to hit them. You  watch carefully before you start but they appear suddenly from behind a car: and it scares the life out of me. Is everyone in such a hurry? ‘nough said!


We were at the Home show recently and many people stopped to pick up our literature (and our free pens). We wish we had enough members who don’t work weekends so that we could staff the booth all weekend but right now it isn’t possible. We are there at the start and near the end  and at some point midway but that’s all we can do.

We just had a fatal accident in our area on last weekend, a head on where one vehicle crossed the centre line . This is becoming more common and we wait to see what investigators come up with as a reason. Falling asleep at the wheel, drugs, inattention, any of these and more could be blamed. I take extra training as the years go by and one instructor taught me about crash avoidance. No one seems to use this procedure and yet it works very well. Of course it may have happened too quickly and you only have a split second to react.

Safety Tip
Hold steering wheel at 9&3 or 8&4 for best overall control and stability. Comes to you from Doug Annett and the Skid Control School at Oakville, Ont. (www.Skidcontrolschool.com).

Road Watch
Our forms are still available at the following places. We know that many people simply call in by cell phone but you may want to keep one of our forms in your glove box to show you what information we require.
Drop Boxes:
Mono Municipal Office,
Pete’s Donuts, Mono Mills,
Mono Plaza,
OPP Primrose,
Wellington Dufferin Guelph Health Unit, Orangeville, (forms only).

Please make the effort to report dangerous and aggressive drivers, the life you save may be your own or a loved one. Many people now simply phone in by cell phone and this is fine but please use the number shown on our report forms.

To contact us – monocommunitypolicing.ca or
Mono Community Policing Committee
c/o Town of Mono,
347209 Mono Centre Road,R.R. #2, Orangeville L9W 2Y8.