CAA Helps Drivers Stay Safe in North Bay and Beyond

CAA_logo.svgTraffic related deaths in Ontario were up in 2015 compared to the previous year, and driving associations and organizations are taking notice. With car safety at an all-time high, it is clear that Ontario’s accidents are down to a lack of driver competence. The Canadian Automobile Association is a fantastic place to start for some basics on saying safe on the roads around North Bay and the province as whole.

The nationwide association has plenty of in-depth information on several aspects of road safety. Of course, aside from potentially saving your life and avoiding injury, staying safe on the roads as definite financial benefits for North Bay residents.

Auto insurance providers punish high risk drivers (those with traffic infractions, history of DUI, or lack of insurance coverage) by hitting them with high premiums, far above the already astronomical Ontarian average.

Conversely, drivers who obey the laws of the road and stay safe by not being involved in at-fault accidents will see their premiums fall each time they renew a policy.

Distracted driving is a major concern and the CAA says drivers should avoid using electronic devices (which is illegal anyway) and should also do other distracting tasks like eating/drinking, preparing music, or adjusting mirrors before they get into the vehicle to start a journey.

Impaired driving through drinking or drugs is a major killer on Ontarian roads, with thousands injured and killed each year in DUI related incidents. It is worth remembering that even not being involved in a collision is not excuse enough, impaired driving can have serious consequences including huge fines, a revoked license, and almost certainly higher auto insurance rates.

The CAA has partnered with Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) to create a toolkit for road safety campaigns. It contains information, tips, and research to help communities design effective campaigns.

“The Toolkit contains a series of issue-specific fact sheets related to campaign effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, campaign development, messaging, branding, social media and evaluation. In addition, it also contains TIRF’s full report released previously about road safety campaign research, and two different styles of a pedestrian campaign developed by Safer Roads Ottawa using this approach. It also includes an issue-specific fact sheet on pedestrian safety, and key facts about alcohol-impaired driving and young drivers which can also be selected as campaign topics.”

Winter Conditions Taking Toll on North Bay

SIGNS-ROAD-CLOSURES1Winter took a while to get started in Northern Ontario, but now the cold weather, snow, and blizzards are making themselves felt across the North Bay area. Indeed, the snow banks have increased and storms are causing huge problems on roads throughout the region, shutting numerous highways and even causing school closures.

Some of the crews working the city say the snow is becoming a real problem, especially the frequency of the falls in a short period of time. Officials are saying maintaining the roads with consistent snowfall is a hard task, as a cleared road is often covered again hours after it has been reopened. The city says it has likely already gone over its snow removal budget for the year, while general road repairs have been postponed until the weather clears.

A storm blew all weekend, bringing 80mph gusts of wind and heavy snow, blanketing the North Bay region in a fresh layer of snow. The OPP announced on Monday that Highway 17 westward was closed between Trunk Road to Walker’s Road near Thessalon due to poor weather conditions making driving hazardous.

Several hours later the OPP announced that the road had reopened, but another bout of snow could lead to more closures.

It is important to drive carefully in such wintery conditions, while using winter tires is advised. Ontario now has a mandatory discount on auto insurance premiums for all customers who install winter tires, so you will save money and potentially save your life out on the dangerous roads.

Heavy storm coming to North Bay says Environment Canada

snow_plowsEnvironment Canada has issued a special weather warning for a winter storm that is moving into the North Bay area on a northerly course from the United States. The agency said the severe winter storm is likely to effect the entire Northern Ontario region and has issued a weather warning for the following:

North Bay – Powassan – Mattawa
West Nipissing – French River
Burk’s Falls – Bayfield Inlet,
Huntsville – Baysville, Ont
Agawa – Lake Superior Park
Sault Ste. Marie – St. Joseph Island
Searchmont – Montreal River Harbour – Batchawana Bay
Timmins – Cochrane – Iroquois Falls
Wawa – Pukaskwa Park
White River – Dubreuilville

The storm will form in the Great Plains over the United States on Monday before passing over the Great Lakes by the end of Tuesday. By Wednesday evening the winter storm will have descended on Northern Ontario, bring periods of heavy and blowing snow blizzards.
Environment Canada says it expects at least 10cm of snow through Wednesday alone, although the agency says that could change if the storms tracked position shifts.

Accompanied by high winds, the heavy snow storm is likely to make driving conditions extremely hazardous, giving drivers little visibility and biting crosswinds on exposed highways.

As always, we caution about driving in the harshest of winter conditions, but if you must travel, remember to obey safe winter driving practices. Drive slowly and give yourself plenty of breaking distance between your vehicle and a lead vehicle. Collisions can happen more frequently in wintery conditions and adding winter tires can reduce the chances of an accident.

Knox Insurance Brokers now works with its partners to give winter tire discounts to all customers who install winter tires on their vehicles. Head to our online quote to see prices from over 25 auto insurance providers in Ontario, or give us a call and we will do our best to answer your query.