BY COLE RIVARD
for northern life
The Sudbury Road Safety Committee has launched the Road Safety Challenge, a campaign designed to educate motorists of the many dangers that occur when safe driving practices are not followed.
The Sudbury Road Safety Committee, which is comprised of members of the Sudbury & District Health Unit and the Greater Sudbury Police Service, have organized a series of events spanning from May 15 to June 11 that will educate citizens on a variety of topics, such as pedestrian safety and drinking and driving.
The campaign kicked off at Tom Davies Square on May 10.
“Over the coming weeks, we are going to have a series of media campaigns that range from pedestrian safety to workshops on properly installing children's car seats,” said Renee Lefebvre, a public health nurse with the SDHU and chair on the committee.
Some of the events that fall under the Road Safety Challenge
include an ATV program designed for youth 16 and over at Lively
District Secondary School on May 15, a car seat clinic at the
Southridge Mall on May 17, and the media launch of the Remember
Adam billboard near Bob's Husky on Hwy. 17, May 24.
“The Remember Adam billboard is in commemoration of a young boy,
Adam Ranger, who was killed by a driver after getting off of a
school bus,” said Lefebvre. “People don't realize how dangerous it
is to pass a stopped bus.
"It's a problem, especially here in Sudbury.”
As part of the Road Safety Challenge campaign, a series of public service announcements will air on local television and radio.
Bike rodeos will also be held for children at the Dairy Queen at the Four Corners May 27, and at Bell Park on June 10. Both are designed to educate children on safe bicycle practices.
Car seat safety for young children is another concern raised at the conference. It is estimated that over 90 percent of car seats are not properly installed in vehicles.
“There are generally two major concerns with car seats,” said Lefebvre. “One is that the seatbelt on most vehicles are not tight enough. The other is that the harnesses keeping children in place is not tight enough.”
This comes as a major concern to the committee, as motor vehicle accidents stand as the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and nine.
Other concerns that were raised at the conference that reflect the driving habits of many modern motorists is that they are often distracted by things such as food and drink, and, in particular, cell phones.
“I think that a lot of people in todays lifestyle aren't paying enough attention to what's going on on the road,” said Greater Sudbury Police Sgt. Gary Lavoie. “People are talking on cell phones, rushing to appointments, eating as they drive, they have to take a step back and pay attention to what's happening on the road.
"In the case of cell phones, people are using them more and more, and it is becoming a hazard on our roadways.”
According to Lavoie, Greater Sudbury has averaged seven to ten deaths a year as a result of motor vehicle collisions. The number of instances of personal injury or property damage involving a motor vehicle averages approximately 3,500 a year.
For more information on any of the events occurring during the Road Safety Challenge, phone the health unit at (705) 522-9200, or by visiting their location in Greater Sudbury at 1300 Paris St.
