If today there is any danger to the lives of the residents of GTA, it is due to negligent driving. The number of accidents that occur due to speeding, school-walk crossing or simply pedestrians crossing the roads at stop lights, are getting quite alarming. Each morning we wake up to the news of deaths and injuries due to negligent driving. Now when you think about it, the ever increasing amount of grocery, auto insurance, hydro-mortgage bills and the decreasing price of the Canadian dollar have mounted stress in the minds of people. To cope with this, many are using alcohol and various kinds of drugs and hence they pose a threat on the roads. The government is making full use of traffic engineers and traffic experts for the construction of roads with road safety in mind. The police are also trying their best to avoid the accidents.

In the past decade, more than 850 people — the equivalent of a small high school — have died on the province’s roads because of not wearing a seat-belt.

Twice as many men have died as women, and young men accounted for the highest rate of road deaths, despite years of warnings and prevention campaigns. Almost 700 people were killed in collisions between transport trucks and other vehicles, and almost 86% of those dead were in the other vehicles.

“These numbers are huge. We’ve had more than 3,500 fatalities in 10 years. That’s enough deaths to have 10 (Boeing) 737s lined up end-to-end. But because traffic fatalities just trickle in, people don’t take notice,” said Sgt. Dave Rektor, a spokesperson for the OPP’s West Region reported in March 2015
Getting tougher on distracted driving

From September 1,2015 Penalties for distracted driving increased to a minimum $490 per ticket plus three demerit points. This is up from $280 minimum previously. In addition, novice drivers (you are considered a novice driver if you have a G1, G2, M1, M2, M2-L or M2-M license) will receive a minimum 30-day suspension for the first conviction and longer suspensions for subsequent actions.

But these accidents cannot be avoided until the price of dollar goes up; the auto insurance, hydro and food rates get lower; the salary of people is increased and discount in the bills is provided. Every day precious lives are being lost on the roads of Ontario. Ontario Liberals keep saying auto insurances rates are getting lower, but every year when we get our renewable letter we see some percent insurance has been increased. “We don’t see any change said Gurvinder Virdi,” a mother of two in Brampton.

Yet the provincial and municipality governments are not serious on this. No political party has ever mentioned the prevention of road accidents in their manifesto, where, in reality, these accidents are taking the shape of a monster. To reduce such road accidents, provincial government has increased the fine for traffic violations.
From September 1, 2015, penalties for distracted driving increased to a minimum $490 per ticket plus three demerit points. This is up from $280 minimum previously. In addition to it, novice drivers (you are considered a novice driver if you have a G1, G2, M1, M2, M2-L or M2-M license) will receive a minimum 30-day suspension for the first conviction and longer suspensions for subsequent actions.

Sadly, it appears that these fines have been imposed not to prevent road accidents, but to cover up their own financial deficits. This arrangement made by the government is not bearing any fruit. Most people know that these types of orders are not effective, because the ever-increasing daily accidents are proof that these fines are not serving any purpose. People are openly defying the rules and government is not taking any initiative to bring awareness for the road safety. Every time everybody is in a hurry to pass the other driver. There is least care for traffic rules and this is accentuating the road accidents. It is the need of the hour to let everybody come on the roads with the simple principle, “save yourself and save others”, so that road accidents can be avoided to a larger extent. People should shed their habit of hurrying to work and rash driving.