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•Th e IF P• H al to n H ill s • Th ur sd ay , D ec em be r 1 9, 2 01 3 6 OPINION We're still a few days away from the official start of winter but you wouldn't know it by the snow on the ground or the accidents, traffic jams and over- all mayhem we've seen on area roadways in recent days. It seems all it takes is a bit of snow to turn our roadways into parking lots as many drivers forget that inclement weather requires even more dili- gence and patience behind the wheel. As a reminder, Young Drivers of Canada offers these five key defensive driving techniques. Keep Space-- More than 90% of all collisions are caused by driver error. Keep a space cushion in front, behind and on both sides in order to always have an escape route open. Increase Your Following Distance-- Poor road conditions make it more difficult to stop. Increase your following distance to four seconds and adjust your speed accordingly. Emergency Stopping with ABS Brakes-- ABS brakes are now common on vehicles in Canada. To maximize their stopping power, hit the brake as quickly and as hard as you can. Stay on the brake without letting up until you stop. You would only lift off the brake if you were certain to hit something and you had the opportunity to steer into space or something softer. Emergency Stopping with Threshold System-- If your car does not have ABS, threshold braking is your emergency stopping technique. With threshold braking, you get on the brakes initially about 80% so you shift the weight to the front of the car then increase the brake pressure progressively. If a wheel locks up, pull back a little on brake pressure. Maintain Control When You Hit Ice-- Remem- ber two things if you start to lose control: shift into neutral (or put in the clutch if you have a standard transmission), and take your foot off the gas. Then look well ahead and steer immediately to keep the vehicle straight. Once under control, steer in the di- rection you want to go. 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 is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ ontpress.com or call 416- 340-1981. The Independent & Free Press Be defensive Letters to the editor Dear editor, The Acton Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society would like to say thank you to those involved in making the "Fall into Fashion Show" such a huge success. The ladies of Acton and the sur- rounding areas were certainly motivat- ed to come out and support our cause as they made it a sold out event! Elizabeth's Fashions and Bridal Boutique once again amazed us with wonderful clothes for the fall season and were thrilled to show them off at our newly-renovated Acton Town Hall Centre. We heard many positive com- ments all night about the venue. Sixteen vendors showcased their merchandise and each one generously provided a door prize. We had a lot of very happy, lucky ladies! The Acton Air Cadets were invaluable with their help also. We are so fortunate to have the sup- port of The Acton Tanner, The Indepen- dent & Free Press and Jon Hurst's wall sign. Their advertising was exceptional. James at Reds Garden Centre once again made the stage very attractive with his plants and Mary Ann Austin adorned the tables with beautiful fall centre pieces. McDonald's, Giant Tiger and Sobeys provided most of the refreshments and Acton Precast Concrete printed the posters and tickets created by Amanda Turner. The McIntyre family gave freely of their time to set up the hall, provide the sound system and serve the ladies beverages while enjoying the show. So, thank you once again to every- one who worked very hard and those who came out to support our very suc- cessful event for such a worthy cause. The Acton Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society How do you feel about Canada Post's plan to eliminate door-to-door mail delivery? • I hate it. It will be a big inconvenience to many (52%) • I like it. They need to cut costs (30%) • I could care less either way (18%) WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.theifp.ca) Acton branch says thank you Why import eggs? States. Now, I strongly believe in shop- ping locally as much as possible, but for such a large company to import eggs from the U.S. instead of getting them locally, or at least from Ontario, is a slap in the face to our farmers. The last time I checked, this was still a Canadian company. I have no idea why they would do such a thing considering that the eggs have to travel a long distance for nothing. So much for reducing our car- bon footprint and they should be ashamed to get away with it and set a bad example for other compa- nies. Bob Desjardins, Georgetown Dear editor, I went to a local store recently to get a few items and I also needed eggs, which I had seen in the store's flyer. The only size they had was large, but what got my attention is that the eggs were from the United Letters must include the author's name, address and daytime phone number. Anony- mous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publica- tion is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 77, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. 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) Classified Call Centre 1-855-415-8237 haltonhillsclassads@metroland.com 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) Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up for our twice weekly electronic newsletter. Go to www.theifp.ca and click on 'Newsletter sign-up' at the bottom of the homepage.