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Winter Driving
Motorists failing to adjust driving to road conditions in major storm results in over 1,650 crashes
ORILLIA - Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino said many motorists failed to adjust their driving behaviour to road conditions on the weekend as a major snow storm swept across Ontario.
The OPP responded to over 1,650 crashes around the province in relation
to roadways they patrol.
Tragically, three people were killed in separate crashes in Western
Region in one of the hardest hit areas of the province.
In one incident, on the 401 under the Elgin Road overpass east of London
on Sunday at approximately 12:00 noon, a female driver was killed when, sadly
she was struck by a snow plough while out of her vehicle fixing a windshield
wiper.
In the London area, an eleven-year-old boy received minor injuries when
the driver of the car he was in was arrested for impaired driving as a result
of being involved in a head on collision.
To date in 2007, there have been 434 people killed in collisions on roads
the OPP patrols.
"I was out yesterday and I saw far too many people not adjusting their
driving to the weather and road conditions," Fantino said. "A majority of the
collisions would not have occurred if drivers slowed down."
"We had been warned for at least three days that a major storm was going
to hit the province but some people still weren't prepared or just didn't care
enough about themselves, their families and others on the roads to slow down
or stay home."
"It was a tough weekend for OPP officers," Chief Superintendent Bill
Grodzinski, Commander of the Highway Safety Division said. "Weather conditions
much of the weekend were horrendous making our job that much more difficult.
All OPP personnel did a tremendous job under extremely difficult circumstances
including our Provincial Communication Centres call takers and dispatchers."
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