ay 19, 2016 | 6 Rules of the road apply to all dnivers & The scope of the problem is sadly captured by mountâ€" ing statistics on death and destruction, with distractâ€" g ed driving now surpassing impaired driving as the 8 number one killer on our roadways. o So far in 2016, eight motorists or passengers have 0 died on Halton roadways, with seven other people 8 sustaining lifeâ€"altering injuries. 2 The cause of the collisions that resulted in fatalities & and serious injuries are not all a direct result of disâ€" tracted driving. They are, however, linked to what poâ€" lice call the Big Four Killers: distracted and aggressive driving, lack of seatbelt use and impaired driving. | M ILTON CANADIAN CHAMPION | Thursday, M This week, officers with the Halton Regional Police | Service are ramping up their enforcement. They are doing so to mark Road Safety Week in Canada (May | 17â€"23) and are zeroing in on the four ‘killers: While enforcement is a great way to curb dangerous driver behaviours, motorists need to do their part to ensure they aren‘t breaking the rules of the road and | possibly putting themselves â€" and others â€" at risk. Drivers should take a moment and analyze their own driving behaviours. Consider this: When you‘re behind the wheel of a vehicle and your smartphone beeps or buzzes or rings, do you resist the urge to reach for it and glance at the screen? If the answer is no, you most likely do a headâ€"swivel for police before firing off a quick text. Maybe you do so when you‘re stuck in traffic or idling at a red light. What‘s the harm? Well, the harm lies in the behaviour. And repeating this behaviour without consequence can be habit forming. It‘s that bad habit that may cost you your life. During a recent ride along with a Champion reporter, Halton Police Superintendent Chris Perkins said he continually sees distracted driving when he‘s out paâ€" trolling local roads. When the officer spots a driver speeding, texting or talking on the phone, he can‘t help but question, "Would these people drive like this on their driving test?" Surely, the answer is no. So why do motorists feel the need to behave badly? Aren‘t they aware of the hefty new fines associated with using a mobile device while behind the wheel? Don‘t they know that some Highway Traffic Act infracâ€" tions can lead to a licence suspension? Don‘t they reâ€" alize that those who use their phones while driving are, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportaâ€" tion, four times more likely to get into crashes, or that taking their eyes off the road for more than two secâ€" onds doubles the chance of a collision? Motorists need to realize that driving laws apply to all. And those frightening statistics apply to them, too. Opmion use B o ol Champion reader Julie Speck snapped this photo of the colourful blooms at her greenâ€" house, The Flower Shed. The Milton garâ€" den centre is responâ€" sible for the lovely flowers that adorn Milton‘s Main Street, which will be planted over the course of the next couple of weeks Do you have a unique, interesting, fun or cute photo taken in Milton that you would like to submit to be considered for Snapshot? Send subâ€" missions (minimum 600 KB resolution) to ediâ€" tor@miltoncanadianâ€" champion.com. _ Please include the name of the photographer (for pubâ€" lication) and a descripâ€" tion of the photo includâ€" ing the location where it was taken. A lesson in pemlstence Come on little buddy, you can do it. As some of our Champion Faceâ€" book _ followers are aware, your hometown newsâ€" paper‘s Industrial Drive office has been home to a mama goose and her just arrived Steve LeBlanc first baby â€"born Sports/News Editor | earlier this week. I‘ll admit my excitement over this hasn‘t | been quite as allâ€"consuming as it has for a few of my coâ€"workers. ButTuesdayeve ning marked the exception to that. Hopping down to the parking lot and stretching his wee legs while mom and pop guarded their two yetâ€"toâ€"beâ€"hatched eggs, junior quickly did an about face and tried to jump back up on the curb to the grass, our container of water and the safeâ€" ty of his parents. Ammmm the Champion office earlier this week. | uu/an‘.m Myheanselzedup. | The second leap was no more successful. Neitherwasthetmd,or well you get fllglvethellttlefurâ€"ballsomecndlt:glv- ing up was simply not an option. He testâ€" ed a couple of seemingly shorter spots, and â€" building up a bit more momentum on the sixth attempt â€" finally cleared the hurdle back to all his necessities. I‘m not too proud to admit | let out a joyâ€" ous cheer. The attempt was met with epic failure â€" | There‘s a lesson in there for all of us. Persisâ€" and what looked like a painful splat. tence pays off. IN â€" FULL _ BLOOM: C | | | insidehaiton.com Can. ic| Ub IOIl 555 Industrial Drive, Milton, Ont. 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