MY TOWN

Beginning Oct. 01 through to Oct. 31 the City of Vernon, the Vernon RCMP, and the City of Vernon RCMP Safe Communities Unit, and its many volunteers, will be participating in the annual Zero Crash Month as sponsored by ICBC. This project is a great opportunity for our community to help reduce the number of crashes we experience during this time period and as a result hopefully prevent the consequences that accompany these types of incidents. Over the next 5 weeks you can expect to see many of our volunteers located in areas where we have experienced high crash rates operating speed reader boards and using road signs to spread the word of Zero Crash Month. I will also be including driving tips in my weekly article covering those things we know contribute to crashes.Participation in Zero Crash Month is open to anyone. Just log onto the Official ICBC Website at www.zerocrashmonth.icbc.com and register your support. Drivers also have the chance of winning a brand new, fully loaded 2007 GM Pontiac Torrent as well as many other prizes. During the 2005 event, operating during the same time period, our volunteers donated 99 hours and checked 24,211 vehicles. As 60% of all crashes in our area occur at intersections their efforts were spent at or near these specific locations. We will continue with these efforts for this year. Issues of speeding, aggressive driving, and impairment remain to be the major factors in over 80% of crashes in the Southern Interior. In most cases these incidents are preventable. I encourage you all to participate in this year’s Zero Crash Month and do your part in reducing the number of crashes we experience in our community. If you have any particular concerns or questions you feel would make an interesting article please make contact with me, Terry Pakenham, at my fax line 260-5866, or my direct office line at 260-5276.