Community Column by Don Butt (October 2021)

 

Town of Mono ON (Don Butt) When we drive in many of the local towns, we see signs for ROAD WATCH. 

I think we should go over what road watch is. It is a govt. and OPP program used all over North America in many jurisdictions. It has worked very well in keeping driving a whole lot safer. Here’s how it works:

Community Column by Don Butt (August 2021)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) Well, it’s Holiday time, if this covid virus has not spoiled all your plans. Normally, you would drive more than usual, heading into new areas (maybe) but this year may be different. Reports from the OPP say that drivers are driving faster and with less care, and this could be from the strain the virus has put everyone under. Please do not become one of these drivers, who are inviting accidents. Speed makes a difference no matter who disagrees! We need to be especially careful in this trying time.

Community Column by Don Butt (April 2021)

 

Town of Mono (Don Butt) Well, I think Winter is over (I hope) and once again; we change the way we drive and the way we think about driving. No ice and snow and stormy visibility.What a change, but it doesn’t mean driving at ridicules speeds or forgetting the rules of the road!

Community Column by Don Butt (January 2021)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) This so far is a very strange winter, with snow coming and then going again. It is also a bad year for "black ice", that dangerous ice that you can’t see but can send you off the road very quickly! My grandson found out, just outside of Kitchener, ON.

Community Column by Don Butt (November 2020)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) Well, here we go for another year. It’s time again to prepare our vehicles for winter (and ourselves for winter driving). I’m sure I have done this many times but a repeat will not hurt!

Community Column by Don Butt (September 2020)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) A few columns ago, we talked about things not to do for Safety, so this time we can talk about things to do for Safety. When buying a car, consider two things that I consider important.

Community Column by Don Butt (February 2020)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) We are into the real winter now. Please drive as you should with extreme care and you may make it to spring!

Community Column by Don Butt (December 2019)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) Well, we are into the real winter now. Get out the snow brushes, ice scrapers, warm clothes and mittens. Drive slower. This all depends on weather and road conditions.

Community Column by Don Butt (February 2019)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) It is a good time to talk about Winter driving. There are so many things different about winter driving; Snow on the road, maybe ice, snowing ( or sleet) blowing snow, bad visibility, black ice or a combination of these.

Community Column by Don Butt (December 2018)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) I think it is a good time to talk about home and auto security. For your car, make sure you lock it. With the new remote keys, if you forget you can still lock it from inside the house. Do not leave items on the seat or on the floor, where they can be seen from outside. Make sure that all windows are all the way closed.

Community Column by Don Butt (October 2018)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) Something old is back. A year ago when our famous sign on airport road was taken down by the County of Dufferin (illegally, as we now know) the subject has been raised again by a committee of concerned residents who say that our sign was making a big difference and they want it back. The wording on the sign was what you need to make people take notice – this is peoples lives we are talking about (60 or 70 the last time I checked).

Community Column by Don Butt (August 2018)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) Reading the little news letter sent out by the Ministry of Transportation, I realized how many changes there have been to the Highway Traffic Act and regulations for drivers lately. Many of these I have already mentioned but it won’t hurt to review them.

Community Column by Don Butt (June 2018)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) This month I would like to talk about Road Safety from a different source. We don’t usually promote other Organizations but since this one is a non-profit like ours I would like to mention them here. The CAA (Canadian Automobile Assoc.) does a lot work on road safety.

Community Column by Don Butt (April 2018)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) This month I would like to talk about Road Safety from a different source. We don’t usually promote other Organizations but since this one is a non-profit like ours I would like to mention them here. The CAA ( Canadian Automobile Assoc.) does a lot work on road safety.

Community Column by Don Butt (December 2017)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) Here we are coming into winter weather and we know that we should change the way we drive to account for snow, ice, black ice (which usually can’t be seen), high winds and other drivers who haven’t got the message yet. It is a well-known fact that you have to change strategy as conditions change. If you don’t, you are in for a lot of grief !

Community Column by Don Butt (October 2017)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) Here it is coming into fall and we should be thinking of what we call "winter maintenance" for our vehicles. A good service man will do a multi-point inspection of your vehicle, make sure liquid levels are up, check antifreeze, tires, etc. It’s a bit too early for snow tires, but change before the first snow. Also it is good practice to carry an emergency kit (blanket, first aid kit, flashlight, pliers and screwdrivers, can of compressed air or 12-volt pump, etc)  plus at all seasons, a fire extinguisher and know how to use it !( your local fire dept. can do this training). A large sign with "call Police" on it is also a good idea.

Community Column by Don Butt (August 2017)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) This month I want to talk about a very special sign. It belonged to Mono Community Policing Committee and was looked after by us, updated, and maintained for many years. We were quite proud of the sign as the local OPP detachment said it reduced the number of accidents on Airport Road in Mono by about 30 percent.

Community Column by Don Butt (June 2017)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) I want to talk about some items concerning safe driving. I  likely have mentioned this before but last year, a change in the Highway Traffic Act concerning crosswalks came into effect. When you stop at a marked crosswalk, you must wait until all people using the walk have completed crossing to the opposite side. I have watched carefully and some are obeying this new rule and many are not. Don’t forget!!

Community Column by Don Butt (April 2017)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) This month the subject is a very timely one, the proliferating use of fraud. It is on the internet, telephone service, and even at your door. The crooks that run these scams are very devious so you must be vigilant to not be caught by them. Friends of mine that have been caught has cost them a considerable amount of money. Most of the ones on the internet are geared to getting your info such as address, bank, passwords and any other info that will help them to get into your bank account, etc. If you receive an offer that seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. On incoming e-mails, if you do not recognize the sender , do not open the e-mail.

Community Column by Don Butt (February 2017)

Town of Mono, ON (Don Butt) I have mentioned this before but it will bear repeating. Turn signals on all cars are there to be used. Why do so many people either not use them or use them incorrectly? Putting them on as you turn has no real value because the driver behind can see you are turning.