OPP gives road safety tips to students

July 11, 2013 · 0 Comments

Caledon OPP Constable Brenda Evans talks to students at St. Cornelius School about safety around roads.

By Nick Fernandes
Caledon’s children received important lessons in public safety last week, when OPP Constable Brenda Evans visited St. Cornelius Catholic School to speak to the Grade 4 classes about how to stay safe near public roads.
It was part of the local detachment’s observances of Police Week.
The prevailing theme of the lesson was the dangers of electronic devices, especially in the presence of vehicles. The main message to the students was one of awareness. Devices, such as cell phones, iPods, and tablets, are far more common with children nowadays and can easily distract both pedestrians and drivers, resulting in injuries and deaths.
Evans related a story to the class that illustrated this point. A driver at a red light was looking at his phone while stopped, and failed to notice Evan’s police cruiser right beside him. Evans noted that if the man couldn’t see her car, he might not have been able to see a smaller pedestrian in front of him. Had he missed the light changing and had he been honked at from behind, he may have sped off without first checking if anyone was in the way.
Aside from the advice of keeping their use of electronic devices separate from roads, and encouraging their families to do the same, Evans also taught the youngsters the basics of staying safe near roads. These tips included staying away from the edge of the sidewalk, only crossing at lights, wearing bright colours and making sure drivers can see them. All these tips can help people prevent disaster in a time where there are more distractions than ever.