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6 ·The IFP· Halton Hills ·Tuesday, August 28, 2012 OPINION Same sad song As we roll ahead to another holiday weekend we-- once again-- wish to remind motorists to have a safe weekend on the roads. However, that may be something of a hollow wish if we just look at some sobering statistics from the Ontario Provincial Police regarding the recent Civic Holiday long weekend earlier this month. Over the weekend of August 4-6 four people were killed in three separate collisions on OPP-patrolled roads throughout the province and one person died in a marine incident. The OPP laid numerous charges for various offences over the long weekend, including 6,559 for speeding, 96 street racing charges, 432 seatbelt charges, 131 charges for driving while impaired by drugs or having a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of above 0.08, and 174 distracted driving charges were laid. The OPP also issued 169 roadside license suspensions to drivers with a BAC in the warn range of 0.05 to 0.08. Throughout that weekend, the OPP ramped up enforcement right across the province, focusing on aggressive driving, driving while impaired, the wearing of seatbelts and driving while distracted. OPP officers were also highly visible patrolling waterways and trails, targeting those who were not in compliance with marine and trail laws. Still despite that enforcement and warning and newspaper editorials thousands of charges were laid and four people perished. The fact is more will die Labour Day weekend. More lives will be lost and families shattered and likely in every case tragedy could have been averted. We know we sound like a broken record when it comes to being smart on the road and the waterways, but this is a tune that apparently needs constant repeating. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) Letters policy Letters must include an address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Steve Nease Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters to the editor Drivers should signal intention Dear editor, The letter "Look both ways" (Aug. 14) was interesting in a number of ways, because it hinted at errors of commission by both pedestrian and driver; both should pay very close attention to that rule! It is noteworthy that the pedestrian DID look in time to see a vehicle making a right hand turn. At that point the walker should have decided whether there was sufficient time to cross, or whether she should allow the much larger and heavier vehicle make the turn. Now this introduces another area where an error of omission might come into play: did the driver of the vehicle SIGNAL her turn? Because I have noticed a remarkable reticence on the part of drivers to signal their intentions so that other drivers and pedestrians know what they intend to do. In the case at hand, looking both ways by both parties would work more effectively if drivers would signal, and if pedestrians would weigh the consequences of insisting on what they might consider their right of way. Remember, you can be dead right! Bill Bingham, Georgetown A kind gesture is food for thought Dear editor, Recently I was shopping in Food Basics and saw an elderly gentleman with a walking stick having much trouble getting around. When I finished shopping and lef the store I saw him in the parking lot returning his cart to the shop. A young lad from the store ran out and took the cart for him. Food for thought. Gwyn R. Evans, Georgetown Nuclear horrors must not reoccur Dear editor, On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima; 80,000 people died immediately. Three days later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing another 40,000 people. In both cities, tens of thousands of others later died from the effects of radiation poisoning. This humanitarian offence should never happen again. Yet nuclear weapons continue to be a threat. International campaigns and action took place on Hiroshima Day, August 6, and Nagasaki Day, August 9, to remember the atrocities of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and to bring attention to the threat that nuclear weapons present today. Melanie Franke, Georgetown WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Many minor sports groups do not keep scores for games involving younger players so as not to emphasize winning and losing. Do you think scores should be kept? · Yes. Kids can handle keeping score...win or lose (79%) · No. Keeping score makes it less fun for kids (21%) Share your thoughts The Independent & Free Press welcomes your letters. Letters must include an address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published and letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Please email your letter to: jmcghie@theifp.ca The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.