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Acton/Georgetown, Friday, July 6, 2007 7 You don't want me out there In spite of the fact it's been a short week, I feel like it's been an incredibly long one. The reason? Two days out of the four I've been out covering motor vehicle accidents-- and one of them was fatal. In nearly a quarter of a century, I've photographed hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand accidents. Some have been fender-benders, others all out total write-offs. And the one factor that seems to be prevalent in almost all of them is driver error. Of course, there are a few that are due to the weather, or simply plain bad luck with some poor person being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But too often, the overall cause is usually due to the fact that someone wasn't focusing their full attention on their driving. And most often due to all-out impatience. Society has become so driven to go faster, produce more and get home earlier, that the attitude has been translated to the road. At accident scenes, I often chat with police officers investigating the accidents. They all agree, if the drivers were to slow down just a little, maybe NOT take that cell phone call while driving, or worry about cleaning that coffee drip on their shirt AFTER they pull over, then a whole lot more people would still be alive today. We've all seen it-- we're driving in a line of cars, making our way along a road at the speed limit, when someone decides that he/she should be at the front of the line. That driver takes enormous risks, pulling out to pass-- sometimes a couple cars at a time-- only to be three cars ahead of the pack at the next stop light. It makes no sense. The two accidents I photographed earlier this week were uncannily similar, both having almost identical scenarios. According to the police service's preliminary investigations, both were passing another vehicle. Grass fires keep firefighters busy last week Halton Hills firefighters were kept busy with grass fires during the hot, dry conditions of the past several days. · At about 1:15 p.m. last Monday crews were called to a grass fire on Confederation St. in Glen Williams. No damage was reported. · Last Wednesday at approximately 2:50 p.m. firefighters were called to Harrison Pl. for a large brush fire started by a passing train. · A passing train was also responsible for a grass fire along the tracks behind Mowat Cr. at 3:10 p.m. · At approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday (July 1) fire crews responded to a small grass fire on the shoulder of Hwy. 7. · Firefighters were called to a large grass fire on Ninth Line at approximately 6:20 p.m. Monday. There was no damage. Ted Brown And in both cases, both drivers tangled with huge tractor trailers-- a no-win situation. I know, we all have moments when we are running late, feeling like we must get to some location a bit sooner, since it will cause us a whole lot of grief if we're late. But few of us think about the grief it would cause to our families at home if we didn't make it at all. We all carry around that `yeah, right, but it would never happen to me' attitude. Unfortunately, I've seen too many tangled cars that belonged to people who were proved wrong on that count. Next time you get behind the wheel, take a moment to think before turning the key in the ignition. Plan ahead so you won't be late, think of a logical route to arrive on time, and most of all, think of what could happen if you didn't arrive at all. I know there will always be motor vehicle accidents, and they'll usually be caused by driver error. But if just one person reads this, and in doing so, takes an extra minute to slow down, or at least think before passing, then I've accomplished what I set out to do here. Because you don't really want me out there photographing your car at an accident scene. Trust me, it ain't a good thing. (Ted Brown can be reached at tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Georgetown Highland Games 2007 Lottery Draw Results (Lottery License # M329442) The 2007 Georgetown Highland Games lottery was drawn at 5:00 pm on June 9th, 2007 in the Georgetown Fairgrounds. First Prize - tickets for two to Scotland (Courtesy of Transat Holidays) Won by: Kevin Salt, Acton Second Prize - Set of Kitchen Knives (Courtesy of Brian Martin Productions) Won by: Fanny Bennett, Acton Third Prize - Four Blue Jays Tickets (Courtesy of Rogers) Won by: Vivian Grigano, Woodbridge Fourth Prize - $50.00 Gift Certificate (Courtesy of Ned Devine's Restaraunt, Milton Won by: Scott Moir, Cambridge DAVID WILCOX Dave Mason · SAB & The Family Band with Chuck Jackson · Danny Marks $400 Million Direct Payment COLIN JAMES Watermelon Slim Savoy Brown · Carlos Del Junco · Walter Trout · Solo Doc MacLean Financial Assistance for Producers The new federal Cost of Production Payment will provide $400 million in assistance to Canadian producers to help address high production costs. If you provided your 2004 farming income and expense information for the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program, you do not need to apply for the payment. If you did not participate in 2004 CAIS, or began farming in 2005 or 2006, you can apply now to receive a payment. The deadline to apply is September 1, 2007. For applications, visit www.agr.gc.ca/cop or call toll-free at 1 866 367-8506. JEFF HEALEY Ten Years After · Sonny Rhodes · Alberta Adams with Special Guest CC Colins & RJ Rhythm · James Anthony S U N DAY G O S P E L Featuring: T H E M I G H T Y I N S P I R A T I O N S JULY 13-15, 2007 COUNTRY HERITAGE PARK 8560 Tremaine Rd, Milton, ON www.escarpmentblues.ca Ticket Information: (647) 448-0553 1 866 934-6889 BLUESFEST HOTLINE (905) 878-8151 www.countr yheritagepark.com D O N ' T F O R G E T T O B R I N G Y O U R L AW N C H A I R S !