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9 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,June 18,2020 theifp.ca Rent soft water Starting at$9.95 *for first three monthsmth .com 5 Mountainview Road North, Georgetown 905.877.6242 - info@culliganwater.ca While we are currently only open for urgent eye care, we are getting prepared for a full re-opening of our offices as soon as health officials will allow.We wish to assure all our current and new patients that strong safety measures will be in place when we do open. Hope to see you soon and stay safe! Leathertown Lumber COVID-19 Store Policy June 18, 2020 WE ARE NOW OPEN! Monday to Friday 8am-4pm Leathertown Lumber would like to thank all of our customers for their patience during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. An increase in demand and new hurdles in the processing of orders has resulted in increased lead times which we know have been frustrating. Thanks again for your patience. At this point we are announcing the reopening of the store following the guidelines put forth by the government of Ontario. Strict physical distancing will be in effect, along with reduced store capacity. Please be patient and kind to our staff who have worked very hard to make the last three months work for you. WELCOME BACK! www.leathertownlumber.ca 519-853-1970 Fax: (519) 853-2542 | Toronto Line: (416) 601-1259 www.leathertownlumber.ca 264 MAIN ST. N., ACTON tario Provincial Police Highway Safety Division said the number of crashes has dropped considerably in the GTA and the Central Region area, which in- cludes Halton. He noted there were 3,332 crashes in January, 3,440 in February and then 1,567 in March and 943 crashes in April. It should be pointed out that this reduction could be partially explained by weather and road condi- tion improvements be- tween February and April. COVID-19's impact on traffic did have a negative side. With fewer cars on the roads, Sgt. Ryan Snow of the Halton police Traffic Services Unit has noticed increased speeding local- ly. "That seems to be pretty consistent at this point," he said. "Traffic volumes are starting to pick up a bit more. You can start to see your daily slowdown on the QEW in the afternoon. As things trend back to normal, increased traffic density will mean less op- portunity for people to speed." Snow has taken to so- cial media in multiple vid- eos aimed at educating people during the CO- VID-19 crisis about the penalties they could face if they are caught speeding or stunt driving. While speeding may be up, Snow said Halton po- lice have not seen an in- crease in serious injuries or deaths as a result. He said between Janu- ary and May 2019, there were five road fatalities and 16 serious traffic colli- sions that resulted in life- altering injuries on Halton roads. During the same period in 2020, police saw one road fatality and 17 serious traffic collisions. "The difference be- tween a serious injury and a fatality can be a very minute difference in how the crash plays out," said Snow. "The fact is we are not seeing much of a differ- ence year over year when it comes to the level of the crashes we are seeing." Snow said vehicle colli- sions involving pedestri- ans and cyclists have also stayed about the same as they were during this peri- od in 2019, with 22 inci- dents reported in Halton during the first quarter of 2020. What has changed is more people are being charged with driving at ex- cessive speeds. Between January and the end of May 2020, Snow said 135 people were charged with stunt driving in Halton. The same period in 2019 saw 99 stunt driving charg- es issued. "We have seen a 35 per cent increase in stunt driv- ing charges," said Snow. "In all likelihood, there is an aspect of that that is happening though re- duced traffic density due to people being at home as a result of COVID-19. How- ever, there could be other factors, such as the weath- er being more conducive in some people's minds to engaging in that sort of be- haviour." Snow said one thing to watch out for is that, as traffic levels return to nor- mal, something that likely won't happen until after the summer, there will be a certain percentage of the driving population who may have difficulty adjust- ing to the new reality. He says this period will be like when snow falls for the first time and some members of the public for- get how to drive in winter conditions. "People are going to have to take into account that they have to share the road and that perhaps some of the things they may have done when there was less traffic density are not going to be possible or safe if done when there are a lot more vehicles on the roadway," said Snow. "As traffic density in- creases, the likelihood for a collision to result from someone's bad judgment is going to increase as well." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: While a major drop in Halton-area colli- sions is certainly good news, police are concerned about a rise in speeding and worry that crashes may spike back up when motorists have to readjust to increased traffic. NEWS Continued from page 1 VIDEOS AIM TO EDUCATION PUBLIC ON DANGERS OF SPEEDING "As traffic density increases the likelihood for a collision to result from someone's bad judgment is going to increase as well." - Sgt. Ryan Snow, Halton Police Traffic Services Unit