680News traffic

One of the news stories this week that would definitely have an impact on motorists is the one about Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty revisiting the issue of banning the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while one is behind the wheel. It is the hope of those who support this ban that, without cell phones and the like, motorists will be less distracted and more able concentrate on the task at hand … that of driving a vehicle.

While we are on the subject of driver distractions I would also like the Premier, or somebody, to take a good look at another issue … billboards.

Maybe it’s just me but, as a driver, I find some of the billboards around the city very distracting. I take the Gardiner every day and there are several huge outdoor signs, some with moving images, all along that route; a large flying piece of pizza comes to mind.

Also I take the eastbound Gardiner ramp to Jarvis every morning. At the bottom of the ramp there is a video billboard. When it first went up it would always catch me by surprise. Because of the rapidly moving images I would think that perhaps there was a police car behind me with flashing lights, or the lights in my vehicle were flickering. I’m used to it now but at first I found it to be quite disconcerting.

You’d never know it by the number and variety of signs, but Toronto and other cities do have rules about outdoor advertising that cover the size, location and the type of ads that are allowed. Advertising companies can request a “variance” from the bylaw so they can put up bigger, brighter ads and most of the time these variance applications are accepted. Public notification of a request is not required.

Do you feel the same way about billboards as I do, or are we simply getting used to them and accepting them as yet another element in a never ending stream of driver distractions?

The first long weekend of the “summer” is now over. It was a deadly one with many highway fatalities. The OPP was out in full force doing their best work, pulling over speeders and dangerous drivers, but they can’t be everywhere. It is up to us to practise responsible driving habits and to try and instil these habits in our children.

How do we do that? How can we keep our children safe on the roads? Many of the fatalities this weekend involved young drivers. They were too carefree, full of the exuberance of youth, and now they are gone. My heart goes out to their families and friends.

My daughter is not yet 15-years-old. I dread the day that she learns to drive and am even more fearful of those words “Mom, can I borrow the car?” I don’t want her to drive, but I know this would be unfair to her. I will have to allow her to learn one day. So even now I am trying to teach her, by example, to be a safe driver.

If I have to drive anywhere I do not drink. Yesterday I had to run a simple errand and I did it before dinner because I wanted to have a glass of wine with my meal. I told my daughter that’s why I had to nip out. She sees by example that I do not drink and drive … not even a drop.

Everyday I pick her up from school. I make sure she has her seat belt on and that her friends are respectful of that rule as well. I tell her that it is so important to wear a seat belt. If there were to be an accident, a seatbelt could save her life. It’s a life I know she takes for granted, but a life I know could be so fleeting.

I also try my best not to drive above the posted speed limits. She has told me at times to drive faster because she is in a hurry and I tell her that speeding is against the law and I do not break the law. My daughter has a healthy respect for the law so I am hoping that this approach might make her think twice before she drives too quickly.

I tell her she never has to accept a ride from someone if she doesn’t feel safe. I don’t care about the time, day or night. She can call me and I will be there. These aren’t empty words. She knows I am available and I have proved it time and time again.

But is this going to be enough? I can only hope that these driving rules will become second nature to my daughter so that when she learns to drive she will follow them naturally. Because, like the OPP, I can’t be everywhere.

I have been waiting for just the right time to talk about securing and transporting a non-commercial load. With the first long weekend of the summer upon us I think now would be the perfect time.

I have worked as a traffic reporter through many a summer weekend and have witnessed everything from large appliances, furniture, bikes, boats, mattresses, suit cases, and yes even a kitchen sink, ending up on the highway.

As many of you head out to open the cottage or to go camping you may want to bring a lot of items with you. So I would like to cover some basic safety tips.

First of all, when you are packing the car, make sure that items in your vehicle do not block your view. Secondly, and very importantly, make sure you check your tires. Low tire pressure can be a big problem especially if your vehicle is carrying more weight than usual.

Secondly, if you are pulling a trailer, OPP Sergeant Cam Woolly tells me that around 150 vehicles with trailers will likely be pulled off the road this long weekend alone, and they will not be allowed to continue until required repairs have been made and safety standards have been met.

So before you head out with your trailer make sure it is fit. The break lights must be working. You must have a safety chain and the tires need to be in good shape and properly inflated. Heavier trailers (more than 3,000 lbs) are required to have their own brakes and these brakes need to be in working order.

Also, you need to remember that your vehicle will handle differently when it is pulling a trailer. For example, the stopping distances increase and you need to reduce your speed on curves. It is recommended that if you are hauling a trailer you should try and travel in off-peak hours.

If you are pulling a trailer with a boat it’s not good enough to just secure the boat. You have to make sure that whatever is in the boat like life jackets, coolers and fishing rods etc., have been secured as well. As Cam Woolly says, just because something stays in the boat when it’s sitting still does not mean that those same items will remain in your boat when you are traveling down the highway at 100 kilometres an hour.

So how do you safely secure a load? Whether it is a load in a trailer that you are hauling or it’s something you are carrying on the roof of your vehicle you need to use the proper securing devices. There are straps with ratchets, as well as tie downs that have load limits.

Remember, gravity alone is not necessarily going to keep an item down, no matter how heavy it is. It is also a good idea to stop at each service centre as you travel so you can do a quick walk around of your vehicle and/or trailer to make sure everything is still secure and working properly.

If the unfortunate incident occurs where something does fall off your vehicle or trailer, you can be charged with having an “unsecured load”, and you are legally responsible for any damage that may ensue. However, do not try and retrieve the lost item unless it is safe to do so. It is best to call *OPP, or even 911 if there is the chance that the item could cause serious damage.

Please have a safe, happy holiday.

This week I was going to talk about billboards and the effect they have on traffic but that scintillating blog is just going to have to wait for another week. Please forgive me but I feel I must discuss the TTC situation just one more time.

What on earth happened last weekend? Not only were many left stranded but even those of us with other methods of transportation were left shaking our heads.

Even though there was some talk that perhaps the deal would be voted down, optimism seemed to prevail. As a member of the commuting public I always felt as if the TTC and the Union were not bargaining in a vacuum, but that they were considering us and keeping us informed. During negotiations TTC union leader Bob Kinnear talked about what was fair and what was right and he made some very valid points.

We are a very forgiving public. We were outraged and hugely inconvenienced by the TTC surprise one day wildcat walkout of 2006 but did we hold that against them? No. My feeling was that even though no one wanted a strike, we did understand that the union had some very valid points.

But now, all that goodwill has been washed away. And for what?

After the tentative deal had been reached Toronto Mayor David Miller acknowledged the goodwill on both sides and didn’t want to discuss making the TTC an essential service. But after that ill-advised move of the union last weekend the gloves are off.

We’ll see how it all plays out . But when all is said and done, and after all the political rhetoric and posturing is over, if I were a betting person I’d say the TTC will be made an essential service within the next few weeks.