Stop, look and listen – Toronto Police launches March Break, March Safe campaign

Mar 10, 2014 | News

By Kelly Khizakia

Street signs on Yonge street in downtown Toronto on September 10, 2008. By Taxiarchos228 (Own work) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

Street signs on Yonge street in downtown Toronto on September 10, 2008. By Taxiarchos228 (Own work) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

According to Toronto Police, 50 to 60 per cent of traffic fatalities have something to do with pedestrians, so just in time for the March Break, Toronto Police have launched a pedestrian safety campaign called the ‘ March Break, March Safe’ campaign.

The police are hoping to educate youth who are off school this week to be mindful of traffic safety and enforcing traffic laws.

Police are also asking parents and guardians to reiterate the ‘stop, look, and listen’ line to their children when they are on the road.

Obeying the rules of the road, signals, signs and crossing at crosswalks is also expected from the police.

Pedestrians, however, aren’t the only target in this campaign. Drivers are also being told to be more careful and look out for pedestrians and cyclists that may be on the road.

Joey Shwartz, the Advocacy Director of the Toronto Bicycling Network, told Humber News that cyclists should also be following the one-meter rule from the curb that is under the highway traffic act.

“If you’re going down a parked row and there’s a whole row of them, you should be at least a meter away from car doors,” Shwartz said.

Shwartz said the rules of the road apply to cyclists as much as they do to motorists and pedestrians.

“Cyclists should be stopping at stop signs but especially staying stopped at traffic lights,” he said.

At Humber College, Reading Week has come and gone so many students aren’t on a break from school but safety is still year-round.

Rob Killfoyle, the director of Public Safety and Emergency Management, said Humber has taken safety precautions, but the rest is up to students.

“There is a reduced speed limit on campus and they should also avoid distractions when driving,” Killfoyle said, adding Humber’s campus is fairly big, so students should be careful of the roads.

The weather is also warming up within the next couple of days, but Killfoyle said that doesn’t mean students should celebrate and not expect unexpected weather conditions.

“It can be potentially slippery and icy, and people should be careful of that,” he said.

The Toronto Police’s campaign runs all week coinciding with many young students’ March Break.