700 Accidents

[slacker]

Irregular News for 01.18.07

 

Canada -- What began as a routine drive to work yesterday ended up with Pruk Ogbe waiting for his number to be called at Toronto's North Collision Reporting Centre.

 

Instead of beginning work at 8 a.m., Ogbe was filling out an accident report after Toronto's first big storm of the year caused havoc on the city's roads.

 

In Ogbe's case, it was a fellow motorist who lost control and hit his car.

 

"I was going at a slow speed, driving carefully when she slipped, left her lane and hit me," he said.

 

Ogbe wasn't alone as blustery winter conditions brought hundreds to the city's three collision centres. Officers reported more than 700 accidents.

 

"It's at least twice as busy as usual," said OPP Staff Sergeant Adam Okonowski at the collision centre on Toryork Dr. in North York. The centre processed 136 accident reports yesterday.

 

Okonowski said many of the collision reports were due to drivers losing control after driving too fast for the conditions or inexperienced drivers unaccustomed to navigating snowy roads. When it snows, "literally, the whole city goes into standstill, everybody forgets how to drive," said Michael Piperopoulos, who was in a vehicle that was struck by another as he made his way to school.

 

Piperopoulos and his car-mate Elena Eliopoulos were supposed to be at school and work respectively around 8 a.m. but said they expected to spend all day yesterday finishing up at the collision centre and, later, visiting the mechanics.

 

"It's a great inconvenience," said Piperopoulos.

 

At the North York centre, a beefed up OPP staff were busy taking down reports and assessing damage, which ranged from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

 

Broken bumpers and cracked headlights were among the damage officers saw.

 

Another key problem on snowy days, officers said, is how to protect the public from a few unscrupulous tow truck drivers. The officers say some tow truck drivers take motorists directly to a body shop rather than to the collision centre.

 

Okonowski said police are concerned these tow truck drivers might be not licensed or insured and might have made deals with the body shop that could result in additional costs to motorists.

 

"We are trying to avoid people being scammed on a day like today," he said. "It's a prime day for that."

 

In light of the accidents, officers yesterday also urged motorists to be aware of, and prepared for, the conditions. Among other measures, they suggested winter tires and winter driving lessons.

 

Motorist Patrick Kariuki lost control and slid off Highway 400 yesterday.

 

"I was nervous," Kariuki said. "I thought I was going to hit another car."

 

He was lucky, he said, that no other car was nearby.

 

OPP officer Jay Parashar recommends making sure vehicles have fully cleaned windshields, a full gas tank and plenty of windshield wiper fluid .

 

Robert Gutwein, vice-president of Accident Support Services, also reminds drivers to make sure to wear a seat belt and leave plenty of room in front of the vehicle when driving.

 

source

[AR Husker Fan]

You would think, given the nature of their climate, that something like that would be rare. Oh, well - never underestaimate the power of human stupidity...

[rawhide]

It doesn't have to be snow. It could be rain, fog or any other climatic event. Dumb is as dumb does. I'm at least consistent I drive fast so hell can't catch me.

[Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red]

Heh.....check this out....

 

Bumper Cars!