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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, August 31, 2012 · 6 Opinion & Letters 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington 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 KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Be safe on roads 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 Civic Holiday long weekend earlier this month. Over the weekend of Aug. 4-6, four people were killed in three separate crashes on OPP-patrolled roads throughout the province and one person died in a marine incident. As of Monday (Aug. 27), a total of 232 people have died this year on roads and highways policed by the OPP -- up from 195 over the same period in 2011. That's why OPP officers will be taking tough measures this weekend against those who place others at risk on roads, waterways and trails as part of their ongoing effort to decrease fatalities and injuries caused by aggressive, impaired and distracted driving, seatbelt non-compliance and failing to obey move over laws. The OPP laid numerous charges for various offences over that last 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 for distracted driving. Police also issued 169 roadside licence suspensions to drivers with a BAC in the warning range of 0.05-0.08. Throughout that long 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. Officers were also highly visible, patrolling waterways and trails, targeting those who were not in compliance with marine and trail laws. Still, despite police enforcement and warnings, and newspaper editorials, thousands of charges were laid and four people perished. The fact is, more will die this Labour Day weekend. More lives will be lost and families shattered. And, likely in every case, these will be tragedies that could have been averted. According to OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis, the solution to eliminating collisions and loss of life is as simple as making a firm commitment to good driving behaviour and obeying all of the laws in place to keep everyone safe. Lewis noted the term "accident" is no longer commonly used among OPP members when referring to collisions because it implies that no one is at fault when someone dies or is seriously injured. According to Lewis, there is almost always someone at fault and, quite often, it is not the person who is injured or killed. We know we sound like a broken record when it comes to being smart on the road, but this is a tune that apparently needs constant repeating. 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. Trails are not race tracks Editor's Note: The following letter and photo sent to The Oakville Beaver by the reader. Re: Injured senior implores cyclists to be careful, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, The Oakville Beaver Your timely article about the 77-yearold senior injured by a bicycle rider in Westoak Trails points to a very dangerous situation that I, a 73-year-old senior, have experienced frequently on my daily walks in the same area. A trail is not a race course. A sign like the one below should be posted at all entrances to Oakville trails. Helmut Erxleben, Oakville Letter to the editor 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. Parents need to do more to stop bullying Not very recently, I've noticed more and more cases of bullying among children who shouldn't have to know what bullying is yet. Near my home these things are happening, and parents and guardians aren't properly supervising their children and their actions. Children of all ages aren't having fun being kids anymore. They're having fun by making sure other kids aren't having fun. Instead of having fun outdoors or with their video games or toys, children are taking their time to group up with other kids and harass innocent children. Kids are being hurt and adults don't always see it. This is different from cyberbullying amongst teenagers. This is real bullying. It's getting in the way of children being free to be outside without fear of harassment. They are tormenting kids for extreme reasons that are totally unjustifiable. You cannot pretend that your child is, or your children are, above being bullies. Even the kids who get bullied. No one is above being a bully. Yet, at the same time, no one is above the law. Harassment, theft, assault, threats, robbery, forgery, these are all against the law here. Yet, harassment and assault are the No. 1 items that we encounter every day -- we, as adults may not encounter it, but our little brothers and sisters do. Our children do. And enough is enough. A bully is a bully is a bully. No matter what kind. I've had it to my wit's end with these kids bullying. Everyone has a right to speech, but not hate speech. It's that simple. Parents need to teach their children how to behave around others. The school's don't seem to anymore. Kids use to be given presentations demonstrating the effects of bullying, which, in some cases, has led to attempted suicide, children scared to go outside, parents comforting their children saying, "It'll be alright." But we don't know that. We can't just say that everything will get better -- we have to actually make things better. If not for our kids now, then what about their kids, if they get to have any before they're bullied into absolute destruction? There is a law that is trying to be passed that enforces the severity of bullying. It leaves the parent responsible for their children's behaviour. It forces them to be more attentive to their kids. The law forces the parents to accept charges against them for bullying. There is no reason that any parent should be against this passing. Because if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Amy Power, Oakville