Ontario Provincial police saw a "disturbing increase" in motor
vehicle accidents in December and January, particularly during winter
storms, OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said in a news release.
OPP
officers investigated 17,368 collisions over those two months, compared
with 15,047 over the same time period last year, and 14,510 in 2007.
"The
majority of these crashes are preventable if drivers would slow down
and drive to the weather and road conditions," he said. "Taking a
little extra time in bad weather is far superior to sustaining a loss
of life or personal injury."
Fantino also said snowmobilers and people driving all terrain vehicles need to to exercise more caution on roads and trails.
"I am still shocked at how many of these crashes have alcohol consumption as a contributing factor," he said.
While the number of accidents went up, the OPP report that the number of fatalities and injuries went down slightly.
Their
statistics show there were 47 deaths on OPP-patrolled roads this past
December and January, compared to 48 last year and 65 fatalities two
years ago.
The number of injuries caused by motor
vehicle crashes also went down to 1,985 over the same period, compared
to 2,216 last year and 2,435 two years ago.
Referrred by Matt Lalande
If you have been injured in a car accident please call Matt Lalande at 905-639-8894 for a free no obligation consultation. We will come to you.
Reference: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Disturbing+increase+accidents+fuelled+alcohol/1267011/story.html