Canada Road Safety week is around the corner, running from May 17th to 23rd, and East Ferris is preparing to spread the word to slow down.
The municipality is printing some signs to help get the message out that speed kills and distracted driving will not be tolerated. Plans are underway to post signs that remind drivers of how many demerit points can be gained due to speeding.
If drivers are caught going 16 to 29 km/h over the posted limit they can have three points added to their record, and if that speed is 30 to 49 km/h over, add an extra point to that.
To gain six demerit points, a driver must be 50 km/h or over the posted speed limit and expect a 30-day licence suspension to go along with those points. And if you’re cruising the town at 15 km/h over the limit? No demerit points will be given, although the driver may end up with a fine.
Three signs will be printed and posted at the entrances to East Ferris. In addition to these signs, the municipality is producing a batch of smaller signs for residential use. There will be a few options to choose from, but the general message is to encourage drivers to slow down, and one also encourages drivers to keep the community safe by leaving the lead shoes behind.
These signs will be free to residents, just stop by the municipal office to pick one up once the campaign begins on the 17th.
The Road Safety Week is led by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police—specifically the Association’s Traffic Safety Committee. The purpose is to increase public compliance with the laws of the road and “safe driving measures” to save lives and reduce injuries.
It’s all a part of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2025, a plan which “aims to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world,” the committee explained in a release. To accomplish this, focus will be on drug and alcohol impaired driving, operating a vehicle while exhausted, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and driving without a seat belt.
“We want to try to do our part” to help support the campaign, Mayor Pauline Rochefort said, and the signs will be coming soon.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
