Winter is Coming

Sorry, this isn’t a post about Game of Thrones! However, we do have a spoiler alert for you: Winter is coming, and Protective Services and SGI want you to be prepared for winter driving:

“You don’t know exactly when winter’s coming and it happens very quickly when it does come,” said Ryan Jacobson, CEO of the Saskatchewan Safety Council. “The challenge is that drivers have to adapt driving behaviours very quickly, sometimes within a day or overnight.”

SGI: “With snow and colder temperatures on the horizon, throughout November police across the province will be on the lookout for people driving too fast for road conditions. From November 2013 to March 20141, driving too fast for road conditions was cited as a contributing factor in 1,511 collisions in Saskatchewan, resulting in seven deaths and 617 injuries.”

Follow this link for more information from SGI about safe winter driving.

Bicycle Safety

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With the increase in bicycle traffic on campus, it is important for both cyclists and motorists to be careful driving on our campus.

Cyclists must remember to follow the same rules as motorists while on the road and use proper hand signals when applicable. Ensure your bicycle is equipped with a bell, headlight and rear reflector for proper visibility.

Bicycles are allowed on campus pathways, but a reminder that crosswalks are for pedestrians only: Cyclists are expected to dismount and walk with their bicycle when crossing the street.

Both motorists and cyclists must be aware of their surroundings and drive and ride as safely as possible to prevent injury. Collisions between bicycles and vehicles can be deadly for cyclists; please always wear a helmet when you ride.

Traffic Circle – Roundabout – Tips

There are now two traffic circles on our campus, as well as several more which have appeared throughout Saskatoon. Traffic circles, or roundabouts, are not only more efficient than intersections at moving vehicles, but they are also safer (they calm traffic) and better for the environment (they reduce vehicle idling time).
Some drivers new to Saskatoon and our campus may not be familiar with how traffic circles operate. Campus Safety has provided the following tips to help motorists, pedestrians and cyclists safely traverse our campus roundabouts.
Motorists:
• Reduce your speed as you approach the roundabout.
• Watch for pedestrians.
• Yield to traffic already inside the circle coming from your left.
• Engage your right turn signal and enter the roundabout to your right when it is safe to do so.
• Continue around the circle until you reach your exit.
• Weather permitting, do not slow down or stop to make your exit.
• Exit to your right.
• If you miss your exit, continue around the circle until it comes up again.
Pedestrians:
• Cross at marked crosswalks only.
• If unmarked, cross the roadways as they approach the circle.
• Pedestrians should never enter the circle and should follow the sidewalk.
• Never cross through the centre island.
Cyclists:
• If you are riding with traffic, you must follow the rules for motorists.
• If you have dismounted, you must follow the rules for pedestrians.

Speeding the focus for July

During the summer months, it’s very common to see pedestrians and cyclists throughout the campus, so drivers are reminded to keep wary of their speed (The speed limit on campus is 40km/h).

Throughout the province, police will be watching for drivers exceeding the speed limit.

Distracted driving, impaired driving and occupant restraints will also be a focus in July.

“Speed is a factor in more than a quarter of all traffic fatalities in Saskatchewan,” said Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO of SGI.

“During the summer months, with increased traffic on our roads and highways, speeding is simply not worth the risk.

Plan ahead. Build in more travel time. Slow down and obey posted speed limits to keep yourself and other road users safe.”

Each year, there are more than 2,500 speed-related collisions on Saskatchewan roads that claim 46 lives and injure more than 1,000 others.

Collisions due to unsafe speed are generally severe – about 29 per cent of excessive speeding-related collisions result in injury or death compared with only 16 per cent for non-speed related collisions.

For every 100 collisions due to unsafe speed, an average of 42 people are injured or killed.1

On June 27, a number of changes addressing speed took effect in the province, including:

· The speed threshold in the Safe Driver Recognition (SDR) program was lowered from 50 km/h over the posted speed limit down to 35 km/h over the posted speed limit. This offence results in four demerit points under the SDR program and Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Improvement and Driver Improvement programs.
· A new offence for driving double or more the speed limit was introduced, resulting in four demerit points under the SDR program and GDL Improvement and Driver Improvement programs.
· Exceeding the speed limit by more than double the speed results in a seven-day vehicle seizure on the second or subsequent offence within one year.
· Exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h results in a seven-day vehicle seizure on each offence.
· A contest of speed or race with other vehicles results in a 30-day vehicle seizure on each offence.

Footnotes

These statistics are based on the three-year average from 2010-2012.
Speed-related collisions include those involving both exceeding the posted speed limit and driving too fast for road conditions.

The Traffic safety spotlight for February is “Distracted drivers”

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!

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

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

Operation Hang Up, Buckle Up back for seventh time

June 19th and 20th, University Peace Officers will be participating in this month’s Hang Up, Buckle Up traffic project setup by SGI.
SGI press release:
A province-wide traffic safety blitz targeting cellphone and seatbelt use will take place next week on June 19 and 20.
Law enforcement officers across the province will be on the lookout for people not wearing a seatbelt, wearing one improperly or not having their kids properly secured in the vehicle.
“During last month’s blitz, 102 people were ticketed for seatbelt violations,” said Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO of SGI. “Those numbers are disturbing, especially when buckling up is such a simple thing to do with a huge safety payout. Wearing a seatbelt decreases your odds of being killed or seriously injured in a crash by 50 per cent.”
Motorists using a cellphone while driving will also be targeted during the blitz. Cellphone use while driving results in a $280 ticket and the loss of four points under SGI’s Safe Driver Recognition program. Depending where you sit on the safety rating scale, you may have to pay a financial penalty or lose any insurance discount you receive. Cellphone use also contributes to distracted driving, which is the leading contributing factor in all collisions in the province.
In 2012, improper or non-seatbelt use contributed to 47 deaths and 274 injuries in the province. Distracted driving, which includes cellphone use, contributed to 60 deaths and nearly 2,200 injuries.
“Wearing a seatbelt is a choice; not using a cellphone to text or talk while driving is a choice,” said Chief Troy Hagen, President of the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police. “What does it take to make people choose wisely? Anyone who has lost a loved one in a collision wishes every day to have those moments of choice back again. Please, hang up and buckle up.”
The blitz will be held in conjunction with a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) event occurring in Kindersley, resulting in a concentrated effort in that area.
The last Operation Hang Up, Buckle Up blitz took place in March and resulted in a total of 282 tickets, including 84 cellphone violations and 101 seatbelt violations.
With construction season underway, motorists are also reminded to be extra cautious when driving through construction zones and to always obey posted speed limits.
Source: SGI

Bicycles are Vehicles

Bicycles are an excellent mode of transportation during the summer months. According to the Traffic Safety Act of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Traffic Bylaws, bicycles are considered vehicles and as such must operate within the rules of any vehicle on a roadway.
Cyclists must ensure to come to a complete stop at stop signs, signal before turning and operate their bicycles as far to the right-side of the road as possible. When riding at night, bicycles must be equipped with a headlight and either a red light or red reflector at the rear. Although not required by law, wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle is always a good idea.
If you require ore information, please contact Campus Safety at 306-966-5555