Drive to the conditions, officer reminds Durham drivers
Nov 20, 2008 - 02:27 PM
By Jennifer Stone
DURHAM -- The timely return of wintry driving conditions had Ontario Provincial Police receiving, on average, an accident report every two minutes on the roads it patrols in the province.
But the roads weren't to blame, said one officer.
"It's not the weather; it's how the person drives," said Sergeant Dave Woodford.
He didn't have a breakdown according to region by Thursday morning, but said there had been a number of collisions -- mainly minor -- on area roads during and after the 7-8 cm snowfall.
Most were minor in nature and none in Durham involved anyone sustaining a major injury, Sgt. Woodford said.
"The majority (of reports involve) a single vehicle into the guardrail," he said of the almost 500 crashes reported on OPP-patrolled roads since the snow began falling around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
But those minor collisions in some cases caused a "chain reaction" as the visual distraction of crashes caused others to lose focus on the road long enough to become involved in accidents of their own, Sgt. Woodford said.
Though traffic was at a near half during Thursday's morning rush hour, there were fewer crashes during that period, due to the slow speed at which people were forced to travel, he said.
In one of the more significant local crashes, a tractor trailer and three other vehicles were involved in a collision near Morgan's Road, east of Mill Street in Newcastle, along Hwy. 401. Police reports indicate upwards of 400L of diesel fuel was spilled as a result. The collision happened just before 5 a.m., and was largely cleared by mid-morning, Sgt. Woodford said.
The accidents were preventable, he said.
"People just have to drive to conditions and slow down," said the sergeant.
More snow is expected Sunday, with wet snow expected to accumulate in similar amounts to what fell overnight Thursday.
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