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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 11, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 -- Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Oakville Beaver THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution Sarah McSweeney Circ. Manager You do know that using an electronic device while driving is illegal? If so, and you're doing it anyway, you are endangering your life and the lives of other drivers and pedestrians. Fortunately, though, there are some street cops taking this illegal activity very seriously. What people thought of Halton's hobocops -- police officers who dressed as street people in order to get close enough to witness drivers texting, talking, even playing Solitaire on their mobile electronic devices -- seemed largely dependant on what side of the $155 fine they were on. Some called the undercover tactic known as Project Disconnect `shabby' and a `stunt'. Others applauded police for enforcing the laws that govern our roads. We consider the blitz to be good old-fashioned police work, conducted where most taxpayers want to see the police -- on our streets. As it turns out, Halton's finest were equally successful applying the Province's distracted driving law while dressed in full police uniform. Over four days of blitzing the intersection of Guelph Line and Fairview Street in Burlington, plainclothes officers handed out 99 distracted driving tickets, while uniformed officers issued 80 tickets, which each carry a $155 fine. (Another 122 tickets were doled out by officers in marked and unmarked vehicles across our neighbouring city over the same four-day period.) The so-called hobocop tactic is hardly new. Police in Ottawa organized a similar blitz several weeks ago. It's as legal as setting up speed traps to catch speeders or RIDE spotchecks to nab impaired drivers. The recent blitz by Halton police proved two things to us. First, distracted drivers remain a menace on our roads more than two years after the law making it illegal to be using an electronic device came into effect. Second, whether there's an obvious police presence or not, distracted drivers are so unaware of their surroundings they're incapable of noticing undercover or fully-uniformed police officers approaching their vehicle until it's too late. We have little sympathy for anyone who wilfully breaks the law. According to Halton police, distracted driving, speeding and impaired driving all contributed to last year's 10 per cent increase in traffic accidents in the region. Of the 8,386 accidents investigated on Halton roadways last year, almost 6,000 resulted in property damage, 1,174 reported injuries and 15 resulted in someone's death. Despite having a shining record on policing, Halton police remain concerned about driving habits and statistics in the region. If undercover and uniformed police officers can help reduce the number of people texting while they drive and, therefore, reduce the risk to everyone on our roads, we say keep up the good work. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Undercover cops Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Not to be taken for granted As we honour mothers and the important work they do, it's a blessing to know women in Canada generally enjoy healthy pregnancies and safe births. Yet elsewhere in the world, thousands of women die in childbirth. In developing countries and small villages, where there is limited access to clinics, hospitals, or a rapid transportation service, women are often required to give birth in unsanitary conditions and poorly equipped clinics. Every year, nearly 360,000 women worldwide don't survive childbirth and four million babies die during childbirth or within a few weeks. Most of these deaths can be prevented. As we celebrate our mothers this Sunday, let's all take a moment to be thankful for the blessings we have here in Canada and remember those for whom childbirth is the roll of the dice. Happy Mother's Day. Mark Lukowski, CEO, Christian Children's Fund of Canada By Steve Nease neasecartoons@gmail.com Pud Sequels are rarely a good idea, so last year when I wrote a Mother's Day letter to the editor for my mom, Maryann Pereira, I didn't think I'd do it again. It was wonderful to watch my mom open her gift on Mother's Day, a framed newspaper clipping of her article. At first she thought it was a joke, but after a lot of, "No, seriously Mom... Happy Mother's Day. I wrote this for you," Mama Pereira got the point. My mom is one of the most important people in my life; she has influenced and instilled great qualities over time to my brother, sister and myself. This year, although I would love to surprise my mom again, my life has changed a bit. I am getting married. Plain and simple, my life is about to take a new and exciting turn, and now I will have two moms to celebrate this Mother's Day. The more moms' the better -- double the guidance, the food takehome packages, the fun... that sounds like a commercial. I still work at World Vision and love it, so this year in addition to writing another letter to the editor, I decided that a great way to support Maryann Pereira and my new mom, Vijay Patel is to support an expectant mom living in poverty through the World Vision Gift catalogue or sponsor a child in their name (www.worldvision.ca). Without my mom and my dreamy fiancée's mom, we would not be saying our `I dos' this summer, so the least we can do is give the gift in our moms' names to help two expecting moms have the same opportunity to be great mothers to their children. Maybe one day the two kids will meet and get married... Happy Mother's Day's to all the Maryann Pereira's and Vijay Patel's in the world. It does not matter how old we are, married or single, you're not just our moms... you're our whole world. Alicia Pereira, Oakville Happy Mother's Day to all moms Letter to the editor