BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
A man races through the streets of Sudbury. HeÂ?s in a hurry to get to the shopping mall to buy his mother a birthday gift. He zooms in and out of traffic impatiently. He wants to get to the mall in five minutes instead of the usual seven minutes it takes.
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As he speeds through a residential area, a child runs out onto the street after a ball. The man has no time to act. He slams his feet onto the brake pedal and the car begins to screech, but itÂ?s too late. He was going too fast to stop in time.
Lives are about to change because someone was trying to save a few minutes.
These types of accidents, along with other collisions, have prompted the Greater Sudbury Police ServiceÂ?s traffic management unit to crack down on speeding drivers.
Over the last couple of months, the unit has targeted numerous areas throughout the city in an effort to reduce speeders and, as a result, help reduce
accidents that result in injuries to people.
And they have no plans to stop any time soon.
Â?The number of complaints the traffic management unit is receiving from citizens about speeding is unbelievable,Â? said Sgt. Gary Lavoie,
Â?ItÂ?s not just one particular area. The complaints are from all over the city.Â?
Also contributing to the speeding blitzes are alarming statistics from last year.
Â?There were a total of 3,140 accidents last year and 641 of them were injury collisions,Â? said Lavoie. Â?Speeding was the primary factor in the collisions
and itÂ?s getting out of hand.Â?
The focus of the campaign is to reduce the number of collisions and educate people that the police are out on the streets seeking to charge speeding drivers.
Â?In the past, it was a proven fact that enforcement reduces the amount of collisions,Â? said Lavoie.
Â?I can almost guarantee that weÂ?re going to see the amount of collisions reduced by the enforcement.Â?
Lavoie knows thereÂ?s a speeding problem in the city just from the number of offences that have been issued, and the police will be out on the streets until the problem is solved.
Â?We will continue until collisions are reduced and I hope people will listen to the warnings.Â?
During the ongoing blitz, speeding drivers might find few sympathetic officers.
Â?We have no quota,Â? said Lavoie. Â?ItÂ?s up to the officersÂ? discretion if they will give a warning or charge speeding drivers.Â?
The biggest problem with speeding is not being able to stop on time.
Â?People donÂ?t realize that with an increase of speed, it increases the stopping speed a vehicle needs, and it could make the difference in an emergency situation.Â?
Drivers caught speeding can face stiff penalties.
20 km/h over = $100 fine
30 km/h over = $142.50 fine
35 km/h over = $265 fine
40 km/h over = $295 fine
49 km/h over = $359 fine
Anything over 49 km/h is automatically directed to court, plus a possible suspension of a driverÂ?s licence.
Points are effected as well.
16 to 29 km/h over = three points
30 to 49 km/h over = four points
50 km/h + over = six points
