Thursday, November 8, 2012

Pedestrian and Motor Vehicle Safety is a Must

(ORILLIA, ON) - Over the past week, there has been a disturbing trend that has evolved which involves pedestrians coming in contact motor vehicles. Last week, we saw two such incidents take place within the Central Region of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and there were a number that gained media notoriety in the Greater Toronto Area as well.

Traffic safety is a priority for the OPP and we hope that through continued education that we will be able identify and subsequently deal with a trend that has the potential to have a deadly outcome.

Motorists share the road with cyclists and pedestrians and it is imperative that those who travel on our roadways follow what should be simplest rules of the road.

 A stop sign means that you must come to a complete stop prior to turning left, right or crossing over a roadway. Rolling through a stop sign is not only against the law, it is not acceptable.
 Remember to look both ways before entering an intersection from either a signalized intersection or one controlled by a sign.
 Stop in the right place - just behind or at a stop line and not in the intersection.
 Travel at or close to the posted speed limit, depending on weather and road conditions.

Pedestrians must remember to always wear light coloured or reflective clothing and to always cross using crosswalks, lights, school zones or pedestrian crossovers and to never just run across the road. Pedestrians must also remember to look both ways before crossing and to wait for traffic to come to a complete stop when crossing where it is safely identified to do so.

“Road and traffic safety is a shared responsibility and motorists and pedestrians must be respectful of one another says Chief Superintendent Brad Blair, Regional Commander of Central Region. With the return to Daylight Savings Time this past weekend, this is traditionally a time where we see an increase in motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians. I urge you to please be careful and whether you are behind the steering wheel or are on foot and to always remember all the rules of the road - together we can make a difference in reducing incidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians”.

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