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•T he I FP • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, A ug us t 1 , 2 01 3 6 OPINION The second-to-last of the summer long week- ends is almost upon us. Along with our usual reminders to drivers to not drink and drive and not drive aggressively, we offer these tips-- via Young Drivers of Cana- da-- to help motorists make whatever trips they are planning this weekend more enjoyable and angst-free. Peter Christianson, President of Young Driv- ers said, "The summer months in Canada statis- tically have a higher number of collisions than any other time of year. Aggressive driving, fatigue and alcohol are often implicated. If drivers plan ahead and drive defensively, the commute will be smoother and the incidents of road rage fewer." Here are a few ways to help you enjoy your weekend and beat traffic: 1. Plan your route-- Plan your trips to avoid travel slow-downs. Even if you are staying close to home, there could be road closures due to lo- cal festivities or road construction. 2. Timing is key-- Rush hour is rush hour is rush hour. You and many others get off at the same time and will be heading to cottage coun- try at the same time. Anticipate how long your route will take and leave plenty of time to avoid stress and rushing to your destination. 3. Avoid a breakdown-- The last thing you want is to have your car break down and throw a wrench into your holiday plans. Have your ve- hicle checked before you head out. 4. Gas up-- A wise driver will fuel up a day or two before the trip then they are able to drive past all the long line-ups at the gas stations. Just before you reach your destination, it's a good idea to top up your tank to have it ready for side trips and the return home. Road construction and traffic congestion are, unfortunately, part and parcel of summer driv- ing in Ontario. We urge all those using the roadways to exer- cise patience and common sense to arrive alive. The Independent & Free Press is published Thursday and is one of sev- eral Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copy- right. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Independent & Free Press Be road smart Steve Nease Letters to the editor Dear editor, Travelling on Guelph Street recently a truck had "parked" in the middle turning lane for coffee and snacks! With my view completely blocked, I could not see the accident taking place to my left. Fortunately, with a maximum of two seconds to spare, a damaged car passed in front of the truck and across both lanes. Police were arriving head-on in my lane, and the driver behind me decided to yell at me to move, before there was a back-up. Intimidated, I moved forward over the debris and continued on. I did not get out to see if the driver was okay; I simply moved for this ranting man. My afternoon was spent feeling guilty that I had offered no assistance, and I was angry I had ignored my instincts to help. Perhaps the man was returning late from lunch and feared his day ruined? (Shame on his boss for not understanding.) My day was ruined for not taking action, however, the person(s) in the accident suffered a lot more. Come on people, where are the moral values: consideration, pa- tience and compassion we preach to our children when our examples are so poor. Katherine Hunter, Burlington Letters policy 905-873-0301 Publisher: Dana Robbins 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/Real Estate Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca or realestate@theifp.ca) Accounting 1-866-773-6575 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) Will the installation of a red light camera in Georgetown south make you think twice about 'running a red'? • Yes (60%) • No (40%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Drivers must show more patience Bring back candy stripers Timing your turn Dear editor, This letter is to those motorists who signal only when they have come to their turning and those who signal after they have turned-- the corner lampost says 'thank you'. To those who signal after they are already in the left-hand turning lane, well, no comment. Gwyn Evans, Georgetown 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 Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Dear editor, We should bring back the candy stripers to our hospital. These were teenaged volunteers wearing pink and white-striped smocks (hence the name). They would deliver food trays, help feed some patients, help nurses with non-medical chores, etc. Patients looked forward each day to seeing their happy young faces. Anyone with loved ones in hos- pital knows how difficult feeding time is especially for those unable to feed themselves. Not everyone has family and friends to help them. These fine young people helped patients, nurses and themselves. They took pride in what they did. They should be able to get school credits for hospital volunteering. It would help so many people. We have many adults in our community that were candy strip- ers when they were young. We thank you for that-- you were very appreciated. Carole Norton, Georgetown