6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday December 7, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY General Manager, Halton JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Are you ready? It happens almost every year around this time, and there's really no reason why it should. The temperature dips, some snow falls and suddenly motorists -- most of whom had no difficulty during the previous eight-month span -- find themselves in ditches, overturned or behind the wheel of something that resembles an accordion more than a car. Last week's first significant snowstorm brought with it a string of crashes across Halton. Police reported more than 700 collisions on Greater Toronto Area highways over the weekend, while hundreds more occurred on city and rural roadways across the GTA. Many of these accidents are preventable provided we all exercise the same amount of common sense and caution at the first sign of less-than-ideal driving conditions. The first rule to winter driving -- proceeding at a speed that's appropriate for the road conditions -- seems like a no-brainer, but is very often ignored. When a winter storm has whipped up and blowing snow reduces visibility, drivers can't afford to give any less than 100 per cent of their attention to the road. It's vital to remain alert, slow down and be prepared for the unexpected such as a car ahead coming to a sudden stop or a vehicle turning in front of you, or even skidding across an intersection. By leaving more space than usual between your car and those up ahead, you give yourself more time to react to surprises and leave your vehicle more room to come to a safe stop. Keeping your car properly maintained at this time of the year also can mean the difference between being stranded in sub-zero temperatures and making it safely to your destination. It's never a bad idea to keep winter survival items -- a first aid kit, extra clothing and footwear, a blanket, nonperishable energy snacks, shovel, sand, booster cables, road flares and a working flashlight -- in your vehicle just in case you end up stranded somewhere along your journey. If every driver reduced their speed a bit, left a little more room between vehicles and kept their mind on the task before them, winter driving wouldn't have to be an accident waiting to happen. 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Thanks to everyone who supported Santa Claus Parade Santa Claus came to Town on Nov. 17 in grand style to help celebrate Oakville's 150th anniversary, and a huge thank you is extended to: · Everyone who came out to watch the Parade -- it was the biggest crowd ever and there were thousands of smiling faces lining the streets of Downtown Oakville and Kerr Village; · The community groups, schools and businesses that worked so hard putting together some outstanding entries this year. Volunteers from many of these groups put in hundreds of hours to ensure their entry was entertaining for the children of Oakville. Many entries this year were the best that Oakville has ever seen. Santa made note of those who put in that extra effort and has definitely included them on his "nice" list; · The topsoil companies, garden centres, trucking firms and others that donated the use of a truck or flatbed to the parade entrants' use -- we noticed how shiny the trucks were and know that the parade wouldn't be possible without your generosity; · The more than 100 volunteers who came out very early Saturday BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com morning to assist with the parade. These volunteers were wearing character costumes, escorting the costumed characters through the parade, acting as marshalls, assisting with traffic or serving hot chocolate; · The businesses and homeowners on Lakeshore Road, Robinson, Reynolds, Felan, Stewart and Kerr Streets for their patience and understanding for the disruption to their businesses and homes that morning. Some businesses really got into the Christmas spirit by serving free hot chocolate or making their facilities available to the participants; · Our generous sponsors, without whom the parade could not happen. These sponsorship dollars pay for advertising, hiring bands, renting costumed character outfits (including those amazing inflatable nutcrackers, gingerbread men and birthday cake), hiring police and much, much more; · The Town of Oakville staff who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of residents and the smooth flow of traffic; · The VIPs who took part, from our Grand Pud See Everyone page 7 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.