Author Archives: Toni Nixey

The Traffic safety spotlight for February is “Distracted drivers”

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Driver distraction and inattention is responsible for about 25% of all accidents on Saskatchewan roads.

It’s also cited as the 2nd highest contributing factor in fatal collisions.

Some of the most common driver distractions include:

  • talking and texting with a hand-held cellphone
  • persons, objects or events outside the vehicle
  • distraction from passengers
  • looking for or at something in the vehicle
  • adjusting radio, climate or vehicle controls
  • smoking
  • eating or drinking

Please be safe while driving our campus roadways!

January is Intersection Safety Month

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Often referred to as Operation Crossroads, for the entire month of January, U of S Protective Services will be targeting intersections to ensure a high level of safety. This includes obeying stop signs, pedestrian crossings and traffic right-of-way.

Last month Protective Services participated in Operation Overdrive, a project designed to keep intoxicated drivers off the road. Protective Services is proud to announce that only one driver was suspended for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Thank you for continuing to drive safely!

Rape Aggression Defence (RAD) for the New Year

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Ladies – this new year, don’t forget to register for a Basic Physical Defence class in the Winter Term.
Learn what you can do to protect yourself against violence and aggression.
Visit the PAC General Office today, or call (306) 966-1040 to sign up for the next Rape and Aggression Defense (RAD) class.  For more information, go to http://recservices.usask.ca/campus-rec/learn-tos/RAD.php, or e-mail an instructor with your questions at RAD_Course@usask.ca.”

Safety Over The Holidays

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Here are some tips from Protective Services to ensure you have a safe and happy holiday season:

1. “To all those doing holiday shopping: do not leave gifts or parcels in plain sight in your vehicle. Always keep valuables with you, or secured in the trunk or glove box. Thefts from vehicles are common, especially this time of year, and only you can prevent them from occurring! ”

2.” Be safe at all your holiday parties! Limit the amount of alcoholic beverages you consume by replacing a few with water. Remember to never operate a motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol,  and to always find a designated driver or save cash for a cab ride home!”

3. “With the holiday season around the corner, the last thing you need is to get into a motor vehicle collision. Remember to drive slow when road conditions are poor, and to leave 15 minutes earlier than normal in order to take away the stress of being late due to traffic.”

Protective Services and Saskatoon Police going into overdrive to catch impaired drivers

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With the holiday season now underway, law enforcement across the province will be paying extra attention to impaired driving during December’s month-long traffic safety blitz, Operation Overdrive.

“We can all help make our roads safer – both by choosing not to drink and drive, and by reporting suspected impaired drivers through the RID program,” said Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO of SGI. “Let’s make sure everyone makes it home safely to celebrate the season with family, friends and loved ones.”

The Report Impaired Drivers (RID) program is in force across the province. RID encourages the public to pull over and call 911 if they see a driver they suspect is impaired by drugs or alcohol.

“Think of this as the best Christmas gift you could ever give to your family,” said Chief Troy Hagen, President of the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police. “Commit to your safety, and theirs, by choosing not to drink and drive. And when you report a suspected impaired driver through RID, you’re paying that gift of safety forward.”

From Dec. 1, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2013, one person was killed and 46 others were injured in 111 impaired driving collisions in Saskatchewan.*

SGI and its law enforcement partners would also like to remind motorists to always plan a safe ride home: choose a designated driver, call a cab, take the bus, use a designated driving service, or call Operation Red Nose if applicable. With so many options to get home safely, there’s simply no excuse to drink and drive.

During the month-long Operation Overdrive blitz in December 2012, police checked more than 8,600 vehicles and issued more than 2,400 tickets, including 217 for impaired driving.

The Dangers of Jaywalking

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Every day a selection of pedestrians moving to and from the main campus choose to cross College Drive outside of the rules. While these rules may make an individual’s trip to campus two or three minutes longer than they would like, at least this student, faculty member, staff or visitor can rest assured that they will be able to make it across the busy stretch of roadway safely.

Jaywalking is dangerous to pedestrians and may be traumatic for motorists who do not expect people to run across the roadway at unmarked locations. While the fine for jaywalking in Saskatoon is only $40, as the city gets bigger and busier, the risks increase.

Since the law’s inception in 2010, Protective Services has written 209 citations for drivers operating an electronic device while driving. As today’s drivers become more distracted, jaywalkers are more at risk. Pedestrians are a vulnerable group of road users; they are likely to sustain serious or fatal injuries if they are struck by a vehicle.

Protective Services always recommends pedestrians use one of the many pedestrian activated signals, controlled intersections or the pedestrian overpass to cross College Drive heading to or from campus.

 

Car Seat Clinic August 1st, 2013 1:00 – 4:00

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U of S Campus Safety will be holding a child’s car seat clinic on August 1st from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at Lot 15 (Corner of Preston Avenue and College Drive, next to the Saskatoon Field House). Members of the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute (http://www.preventioninstitute.sk.ca) will be on site to inspect car seats and direct parents in how to properly install and secure child seats inside their vehicles. Campus Safety will also be setup to talk to people about safety on campus, and refreshments will be provided for the children.
For more information, please contact Campus Safety at 306-966-5555 or on the web at www.usask.ca/campussafety