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Road Safety Week underway |
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Written by FRANK PEEBLES
Citizen staff
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Monday, 12 May 2008 |
Today is the start of Canada Road Safety Week and the RCMP in the North warn drivers that the highway is a place where caution is needed.
Two deaths on northern roads last week alone are the bitterest of reminders.
The closest incident was in Vanderhoof, where Barry Blattner, 35, died in a single-vehicle crash, which is still under investigation.
"The deaths, pain and broken hearts that result from carelessness behind the wheel can be prevented," said Sgt. Pat McTiernan, commander of the RCMP's Fraser Fort George traffic services unit. "Police agencies across the country are collaborating on this project because they have seen more than enough, and because they know that the involvement of the driving public is essential to achieve safer streets and highways."
Education is as much a responsibility of police as enforcement, McTiernan said, which is why Canada Road Safety Week was designed. McTiernan did not connect the two recent area deaths to the initiative, but the fact they occurred during the emergence of summer is further evidence that highway safety has the highest stakes possible.
A crash last Wednesday on Highway 37, about 75 kilometres north of Meziadin Junction, killed the lone occupant. The victim's name has not been released, but police from Stewart said the car rolled several times. Police said the driver was not wearing a seatbelt, causing a violent ejection that inflicted severe injuries.
Police promised to be out in force during this commemorative week to drive home the perils of driving with anything less than total attention on the road. The summer months, especially long weekends, bring the greatest amounts of death, injury and damage on northern B.C. roads.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 May 2008 )
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