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A6 - The Canadian Champion, Friday, October 3, 2008 Strap yourself in - no excusesi Eailing to buckle up leaves you 38 times more likely to be killed in crash Trivia question: Wbat year did wearing seaibelts in Ontario become mandatory - a) 1976;1 b) 1980; or c) 1982? If you guessed tisati was 32 years ago - in 1 976 congratulations! An entire generation of Ontario drivers have grown up knowing ir is tise law ta buekie up when gettinsg bhind the wbeel of a veiile. But amazingly, ifs estimated that abaut 680,000 Ontarians dont wear seathelis. Apari frtsm riskttsg a $110 fine and twa demerit points upon canviction, tbase drivers (and their passengers) are puiîing theinseives ta unneces- sary danger. Failing ta wear ytsur scaîbeli wbile drtving inakes yoat about 38 trnes mare likeiy ta be klled in a crash tisais if you did buekie up. We ofien bear ai fatal crashses i whics tise diver or ais occupant of a car was "eerted." In mositcases tisase edcci ed weren'î weariog their seatbeits aîsd by becomttsg a isuman missile were putîîng thernselves ils far grealer jeop- ardy than if îiscy were sîrapped in. Seaibeli safety blitzes and ciild safeîy seautinspection clinies wiII beciseld acrass tise province clnnng the fîrsutwtuO weeks of Ociober ta remiîsd drivers ansd passeîsgets ta buckle up and make sure cildren aie saieiy serured. Local police, fire. ernergency medical servicesptublic bealtis units and volunteer organizatians arc oinisg fortes ta spreacl the word ihat scaîbelts, thuld safety seats and booster seats save lives. Booster scats and cild safety seats are mandauary for cbildren under age eigisî who weigis Iess tîsan 36 kg (80 pounds), and are less than 145 cm (4 feet, 9 inches) tali. Drivers wbo dont correctly use booster scats or cbild sale- ty seats for tiseir young passengers also face îwo dernerit points and a $110 fine. If you dont regularly wear a scatbelt ask yourseli tîis:s Wisat's holding you back? E-mnu} yow n lttns w siaa()itnaciiiibm)cai i Exercise your right and vote Oct. 14 DEAR EDITOR: A sist luie aga I1sas having hlnch wiih sosine iends and the tapicth ie lederal Acetian caine op. 1 rauldn't hieip but naître ileirtissaiisiactiiin wiih the svay issues aie hantiied by gar- emiment otsiicials. When asked wha they wauld votet far, they repliaic, I cant he hathered ta vate." Unfariunateiy ibis seemns ta be the general attitude tof înany in tsur society People sbould realize that even ane vate can inake a differenre. The day may carne whien gtîvern- ments will stop free electians alîageth- er, saying. Wssbouses bras ng an es-- 11(11 as ail \iih voter inrilani sa Io\\\ith lsiirs nin dthinisfaiolans tries n parts ai Ai a anti .sia wvlserc carinuinîsi aics tise land.i-s'en 58 rse are plates withî tire rie oaire gtinI Ever>' year peosple corne musi places like ihese ta C anada Iaaking lai a hbc- ter life, inciuclsng ireedans ai chaste - saîssething C anadians taa aiten take far granted. Anti remerinher, if yau dant vate, vau shanliin criticîze eiected afficiais. WAYNE BOUDREAU MILTON TrCaE~nadîan (cEIampion 555 Industrial Dr Milton, Ont. L9T 5E1 905-878-2341 Editonial Fax: 905-878-4943 Advertising Fax: 905-876-2364 Classified:905-875-3300 Circulation: 905-878-5947 www.niütoncanadianchampion.com V.P. - Group Publisher Neil Oliver General Manager David Harvpy Editor in Chief 11l1 Davis Managing Editor Kir(r-,Miî<li Advertising Director Production Manager Circulation Manager Office Manager s îri1 y ad. The Canadian Champion, published every Wednesday and Friday, in a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd. - President tan Oliver. 5 "l, r lai ' M', l- 'iIV q p r ar.ùý L' CCAB Audited O On Ctaio Comnnllv N,,ca ewispapers Assoiation Canadan Commrniy C -A Newspapers Assoiaion Sbban Nevvspapers un of Amneia Aro)undtown BUd w speed up court process great news, and long overdue Ch .n . i talnapis ns ns Week after week, montis after montis, sometimes even year after yar... notising but waiting, tormented by tise unknown. t must be torture for families wisose lives have become wrapped up in a court case to wait sometimes years for a resolution. Unfortunately, thats al 100 often tise case. l'm tiinking especially about tise viciims involved and tbeir loved ones, but also tise accused persons and their families - îisey are, after ail, innocent until proven guilty Take, for example, tise case of a local higis * scisool student wbo was killed in 2006 when sise was struck by a vebicle wiile rollerblad- mng near ber rural Milton home. * Tise accused in tise incident bas been bfore tise courts for more than two years. I can only imagine tise added stress tiis would place on tise family of tise young woman. So needless to say, 1 was glad to bear a recent announcement rom Attorney General Chris Bentley that Ontario is setting targets to reduce the provincial average of days and court appearances need- ed 10 complete a criminal charge by 30 per cent over the next four years îirough uts 'Justice 011 Target' strategy. An expert panel has been formed to provide advice on how to move cases through the justice systein faster. Its no surprise that tise court system bas become increasingly clogged. In tise past 15 years, the length of criminsal cases has nearly doubled; in 1992, cases were in tise system for an average of 115 days. By last year, the number bad jumped to 205 days, states a press release issued by the Ministry of the Attorney General. Two hundred and five? If only tise cases I've followed isad been resolved is 205 days. A quick sean of recent cases covered by tise Champion show durations rang- - ~ ing rom just over a year to three-and-a-half years. In one case a man who pleaded guilty to child pomnog- raphy was deait with in six months, but that doesn'î seeîn ta- 10 be tise norm. lronically enougb, in tise case tisat took three-and-a-isall years, tise individ- ual was acquitted. Can you imagine being before tise courts for tisai long before being found mot guilty? Tisree of tise cases l'm currently following & see 1 on page A7 id/ o MILTON ~I SANiA UNITED WAY 0U ~ LU 0F MILTON TV AUCTION PARADE SYYMCA Shorecase Milfolei i 1