Communist Ontario cracks down on Street Racers
10-06-2007, 08:08 AM
#51
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If they bump a bike what will they do to a car...drive safe...
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/264066
OPP scoop bike as 'Operation Impact' kicks off
The Thanksgiving traffic blitz Operation Impact got off to a quick start today with one person charged under new speed legislation just hours after the crackdown began.
The arrest came this afternoon following a brief police chase on Hwy. 400 south of Hwy. 7 as OPP followed a Yamaha motorcycle travelling at 210 kph in a northbound lane.
According to Sgt. Cam Woolley, the rider exited the 400 at Hwy. 7. When a cruiser pulled up beside him at a set of lights, the bike bumped into the causing the rider to fall off.
The rider was taken into custody and there were no reports of major injuries.
Const. Dave Winford said the motorcyclist, a 23-year old Ajax man, is facing a number of charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and escape by flight. The suspect is also being charged under new speed laws introduced last Sunday.
And his motorycle was seized.
"It is quite a big start to this new legislation," said Woolley.
"This is its first weekend."
Operation Impact is targeting impaired and aggressive driving as well as speeding and seat belt infractions.
"This is a Canada-wide initiative that runs from coast to coast," said Woolley. "This runs as part of Canada's Road Safety Vision 2010," the national program to make Canada's roads the safest in the world by 2010.
According to Woolley, five people died in accidents and almost 10,000 traffic charges were laid during last year's Thanksgiving weekend and he thinks this program and the impoundment capabilities granted by the new speed legislation is really going to help.
"It started Sunday and we impounded 151 vehicles by 6 a.m. this morning," said Woolley. "We think this legislation is saving lives already."
In addition to Operation Impact, York Region police will be starting a R.I.D.E program this weekend to combat impaired driving.
Officers will be testing anyone they suspect of drinking and will also have marine units patroling York Region waterways including Lake Simcoe.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/264066
OPP scoop bike as 'Operation Impact' kicks off
The Thanksgiving traffic blitz Operation Impact got off to a quick start today with one person charged under new speed legislation just hours after the crackdown began.
The arrest came this afternoon following a brief police chase on Hwy. 400 south of Hwy. 7 as OPP followed a Yamaha motorcycle travelling at 210 kph in a northbound lane.
According to Sgt. Cam Woolley, the rider exited the 400 at Hwy. 7. When a cruiser pulled up beside him at a set of lights, the bike bumped into the causing the rider to fall off.
The rider was taken into custody and there were no reports of major injuries.
Const. Dave Winford said the motorcyclist, a 23-year old Ajax man, is facing a number of charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and escape by flight. The suspect is also being charged under new speed laws introduced last Sunday.
And his motorycle was seized.
"It is quite a big start to this new legislation," said Woolley.
"This is its first weekend."
Operation Impact is targeting impaired and aggressive driving as well as speeding and seat belt infractions.
"This is a Canada-wide initiative that runs from coast to coast," said Woolley. "This runs as part of Canada's Road Safety Vision 2010," the national program to make Canada's roads the safest in the world by 2010.
According to Woolley, five people died in accidents and almost 10,000 traffic charges were laid during last year's Thanksgiving weekend and he thinks this program and the impoundment capabilities granted by the new speed legislation is really going to help.
"It started Sunday and we impounded 151 vehicles by 6 a.m. this morning," said Woolley. "We think this legislation is saving lives already."
In addition to Operation Impact, York Region police will be starting a R.I.D.E program this weekend to combat impaired driving.
Officers will be testing anyone they suspect of drinking and will also have marine units patroling York Region waterways including Lake Simcoe.
10-06-2007, 09:12 AM
#52
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I guess doing this is lots easier than turfing aboriginals off of land they don't own (as the court instructed the Police to do 2 years ago). It is all about emotion, opinion and speculation......'we think this is saving lives already'. You THINK???? How come you don't KNOW???? Oh ya, that's right, you didn't have good data in the first place. Another money making venture paid for by your tax dollars........cha-ching.
10-07-2007, 07:58 AM
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http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/264421
Speed blamed in fatal crash
ANDREW WALLACE/TORONTO STAR
Const. Adam Minnion of Peel region police at the scene where two women were killed in a crash on Highway 50, near Mayfield Rd., north of Major MacKenzie Dr., in Brampton, Ont., Oct. 6, 2007.
Two brothers in custody after two women die in five-vehicle collision
Oct 07, 2007 04:30 AM
Tamsyn Burgmann
staff reporter
Just one week after Ontario's tough new street racing laws came into effect, Peel police have charged two brothers in a Brampton five-vehicle crash that killed two women.
Speeding is likely to blame, police said.
Witnesses told police two men – each driving a different car – were speeding in excess of 140 km/h just after noon yesterday when one lost control, setting off a chain reaction that sent three other cars careering across the road. The posted speed limit in the area is 80 km/h.
The women, believed to be in their late 30s or early 40s, from nearby Palgrave, were driving together in a burgundy Grand Am. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The brothers each face two counts of criminal negligence causing death, but street racing charges may soon follow.
"There was obviously evidence to suggest people were responsible," said Const. Adam Minnion of Peel Region police. "We can't confirm this is a racing incident just yet."
Investigators worked for more than nine hours, some of it during lightning and torrential rain, piecing together what happened from nearly 150 metres of wreckage.
Who hit whom is still unclear, Minnion said, but the road was dry at the time of the crash.
"It is such a destructive mess-up, they're still figuring out what happened," he said, describing it as the worst accident he's seen in nearly a decade of policing.
"There's literally cars everywhere."
Before the crash, two cars were travelling south along Highway 50, toward Mayfield Rd., north of Major MacKenzie Dr., police said.
Early evidence suggests one, believed to be a black or dark blue Audi, lost control first. The second car was a grey BMW.
"We don't know if they rear-ended (the Grand Am) at such a high speed to push them, or if they crossed over a lane and hit it," Minnion said.
"(But) the Audi lost control somehow – it almost sounds like one car was in front of the other."
When it was all over, the Audi – its front smashed into a guardrail – rested against a tractor-trailer stopped on the northbound shoulder of Highway 50.
The rig's driver was unhurt, having pulled over with moments to spare after hearing a general alert over his CB radio about the accident as it was happening.
Drivers and passengers of the other cars were treated for minor injuries on the scene. Both brothers were unhurt.
"There's no way to go to that scene and tell who was going which way," Minnion said. "The (cars) are everywhere."
Highway 50 from Mayfield Rd. to Castlemore Rd. was closed until around 10 p.m.
Charged are Steven Machado, 22, and Brian Machado, 27, of Mississauga.
They were taken into custody. A bail hearing is set for today.
Police seized their cars under new provincial legislation that stipulates the vehicle of any driver speeding more than 50 km/h over the limit will be impounded for seven days, and the driver's licence suspended, also for seven days. There is a minimum $2,000 fine on conviction.
At least 225 cars have been impounded since the law took effect last Sunday.
Yesterday's crash was the second fatal collision in the area in 24 hours.
A young woman was killed Friday when the car in which she was a passenger collided with another at the intersection of Finch and Steeles Aves. just before 7:45 p.m.
Speed blamed in fatal crash
ANDREW WALLACE/TORONTO STAR
Const. Adam Minnion of Peel region police at the scene where two women were killed in a crash on Highway 50, near Mayfield Rd., north of Major MacKenzie Dr., in Brampton, Ont., Oct. 6, 2007.
Two brothers in custody after two women die in five-vehicle collision
Oct 07, 2007 04:30 AM
Tamsyn Burgmann
staff reporter
Just one week after Ontario's tough new street racing laws came into effect, Peel police have charged two brothers in a Brampton five-vehicle crash that killed two women.
Speeding is likely to blame, police said.
Witnesses told police two men – each driving a different car – were speeding in excess of 140 km/h just after noon yesterday when one lost control, setting off a chain reaction that sent three other cars careering across the road. The posted speed limit in the area is 80 km/h.
The women, believed to be in their late 30s or early 40s, from nearby Palgrave, were driving together in a burgundy Grand Am. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The brothers each face two counts of criminal negligence causing death, but street racing charges may soon follow.
"There was obviously evidence to suggest people were responsible," said Const. Adam Minnion of Peel Region police. "We can't confirm this is a racing incident just yet."
Investigators worked for more than nine hours, some of it during lightning and torrential rain, piecing together what happened from nearly 150 metres of wreckage.
Who hit whom is still unclear, Minnion said, but the road was dry at the time of the crash.
"It is such a destructive mess-up, they're still figuring out what happened," he said, describing it as the worst accident he's seen in nearly a decade of policing.
"There's literally cars everywhere."
Before the crash, two cars were travelling south along Highway 50, toward Mayfield Rd., north of Major MacKenzie Dr., police said.
Early evidence suggests one, believed to be a black or dark blue Audi, lost control first. The second car was a grey BMW.
"We don't know if they rear-ended (the Grand Am) at such a high speed to push them, or if they crossed over a lane and hit it," Minnion said.
"(But) the Audi lost control somehow – it almost sounds like one car was in front of the other."
When it was all over, the Audi – its front smashed into a guardrail – rested against a tractor-trailer stopped on the northbound shoulder of Highway 50.
The rig's driver was unhurt, having pulled over with moments to spare after hearing a general alert over his CB radio about the accident as it was happening.
Drivers and passengers of the other cars were treated for minor injuries on the scene. Both brothers were unhurt.
"There's no way to go to that scene and tell who was going which way," Minnion said. "The (cars) are everywhere."
Highway 50 from Mayfield Rd. to Castlemore Rd. was closed until around 10 p.m.
Charged are Steven Machado, 22, and Brian Machado, 27, of Mississauga.
They were taken into custody. A bail hearing is set for today.
Police seized their cars under new provincial legislation that stipulates the vehicle of any driver speeding more than 50 km/h over the limit will be impounded for seven days, and the driver's licence suspended, also for seven days. There is a minimum $2,000 fine on conviction.
At least 225 cars have been impounded since the law took effect last Sunday.
Yesterday's crash was the second fatal collision in the area in 24 hours.
A young woman was killed Friday when the car in which she was a passenger collided with another at the intersection of Finch and Steeles Aves. just before 7:45 p.m.
10-07-2007, 10:03 AM
#54
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Nothing more reliable than a bunch of emotional witnesses. "We think = we know". Hardly. I have no doubt that the cars mentioned caused the crash, no doubt they were going fast, but there is a big difference between speeding and reckless (aka=stupid) driving. I admit to speeding, often over 140, but when conditions allow for it (i.e. good visibility, little or no traffic, etc.). I feel bad that people died but this hardly equals 'carnage on the highways'.
10-07-2007, 10:30 AM
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Nothing more reliable than a bunch of emotional witnesses. "We think = we know". Hardly. I have no doubt that the cars mentioned caused the crash, no doubt they were going fast, but there is a big difference between speeding and reckless (aka=stupid) driving. I admit to speeding, often over 140, but when conditions allow for it (i.e. good visibility, little or no traffic, etc.). I feel bad that people died but this hardly equals 'carnage on the highways'.
While I can agree with you at some point, I think you will come to regret this statement. You often admit to speeding over 140? Please tell me the speed limit of the road you are on is 110 or better. Residential? I will shred your license myself.
60km/h over... in an 80 zone? In traffic?? What was their reasoning for this?? Not like they were together and one of them was having a heart attack.. even then, fueled with adrenaline and emotion of an emergency situation, your driving skill will take a backseat to panic. Its not a good idea to exceed that much.
Maybe you should ask the families of these women if they think it was 'carnage on the highways'. If it was my sister/mother/mother in law what have you, I would agree with that statement wholeheartedly. Its horrific someone did something stupid, and some innocent lives were lost. Its complete BS.
I hope that you never experience what they did, or what their families did. You will change your tune faster than your CD player could..
10-07-2007, 04:46 PM
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Go back and read my last post again; all your points are answered within. And I do agree that road deaths are sad and most are avoidable but my view remains the same.
10-13-2007, 08:12 AM
#58
I just received this months edition of Performance in Motion magazine and there are several articles in it about the newly passed Bill 203 in Ontario.
While the articles do not go into specifics about Bill 203 it does talk about their efforts in meeting with the Ministry of Ontario Transportation and that the SEMA has official adopted the fight against Bill 203 in Ontario.
You can join the SEMA network here http://www.semasan.com/main/main.asp...ANcom/HomePage
SEMA is an organization out of the United States promotes legislative solutions for the auto hobby and has now expanded to Canada. Canadians can now sign up and help SEMA bring down Bill 203
I cannot find online copies of the articles however I am willing to scan them in and post them here if there is interest.
Links to Bill 203
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bil...en&BillID=1594
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/about/bill203.htm
<start hi-jack>
Other stuff
- in Alberta the Speed limit is 110 km/hr, Radar detectors and Nitrous are legal (I would move if my wife wasn't such a hermit)
- Only 5 provinces require front license plates
- This week the hi milers in Dufferin County where a mini-van doing 143 in an 80 and a truck pulling a boat doing 141 in an 80. I wonder if they had nitrous?
- Mike Stafford from 640 Toronto on the Front license plate issue (I believe he owns an 8) http://www.640toronto.com/station/bl...292&m=9&y=2007
- My cd deck is filled with Iron Maiden, Silent Civilian, and Slayer, but I'm a closet Bon Jovi listener.
<end hi-jack>
While the articles do not go into specifics about Bill 203 it does talk about their efforts in meeting with the Ministry of Ontario Transportation and that the SEMA has official adopted the fight against Bill 203 in Ontario.
You can join the SEMA network here http://www.semasan.com/main/main.asp...ANcom/HomePage
SEMA is an organization out of the United States promotes legislative solutions for the auto hobby and has now expanded to Canada. Canadians can now sign up and help SEMA bring down Bill 203
I cannot find online copies of the articles however I am willing to scan them in and post them here if there is interest.
Links to Bill 203
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bil...en&BillID=1594
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/about/bill203.htm
<start hi-jack>
Other stuff
- in Alberta the Speed limit is 110 km/hr, Radar detectors and Nitrous are legal (I would move if my wife wasn't such a hermit)
- Only 5 provinces require front license plates
- This week the hi milers in Dufferin County where a mini-van doing 143 in an 80 and a truck pulling a boat doing 141 in an 80. I wonder if they had nitrous?
- Mike Stafford from 640 Toronto on the Front license plate issue (I believe he owns an 8) http://www.640toronto.com/station/bl...292&m=9&y=2007
- My cd deck is filled with Iron Maiden, Silent Civilian, and Slayer, but I'm a closet Bon Jovi listener.
<end hi-jack>
Last edited by wcs; 10-13-2007 at 08:15 AM.
10-13-2007, 10:14 AM
#59
Thank you WCS
I have joined this campaigne, and this fight against unlawful assumption that car hobbyists are causing danger on the road.
The fight is against hot head drivers that have no business with car club communities.
You can join the SEMA network here http://www.semasan.com/main/main.asp...ANcom/HomePage
The fight is against hot head drivers that have no business with car club communities.
10-13-2007, 05:08 PM
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Time for my rant...
With over 300 cars impounded to date since the recent introduction of the
new "anti-aggressive driving" law, that's over $600,000 in fines alone in
Premier McGuinty's bottomless pockets with no end in site. One might think
that's great, all in the name of safer roads right? Think again.
Fact is, there is no proof that aggressive driving has been an escalating
problem in Ontario. In fact, the available statistics clearly indicate that
Ontario continues to have the safest roads in Canada and is among the
safest in North America. This trend is despite seeing the number of
licensed drivers on Ontario's roads increase by more than 22% in the past
10 years.
So this naturally begs the question, why implement these new laws that are
by far the most severe in Canada, in the safest province in Canada? Where's
the connection?
Allow me suggest that there isn't one. In the end, this is nothing but a
case of a government trying to create the illusion of being tough on some
sort of new and reckless street racing subculture. However, in the real
world, the facts paint a different picture. A recent study by the Virginia
Tech Transportation Institute concluded that in 80 per cent of crashes, the
driver was distracted in the three seconds prior to the accident. As a
motorcyclist, this is no surprise. I lost count of how many times some
motorist, usually in an oversized SUV, has crept into my lane by a driver
who's was either applying make-up, or eating, or reading, or talking on
their cell-phone, or any number of things. This is nothing new, experts
everywhere have always agreed that the vast majority of road "accidents"
are preventable.
But why attack the real root of our traffic problems when it so much more
exiting to sensationalize the issue? There's been no shortage of media
coverage on the alleged street racing incident from this past weekend that
tragically claimed two innocent lives, yet many more people have since died
on our roads due to other types of preventable accidents. Where is the
coverage of those? Fact is, on an average day on Ontario roads, over 2
people still die and over 200 are seriously injured. What is being done
about the more common causes of problems on our roads?
We can start by outlawing cell phone use in Ontario as many countries have.
We can have police come out of their radar traps and start patrolling the
streets and stopping everyday drivers who aren't focused on the task at
hand. There are so many things that we can do, but the problem is many of
these solutions wouldn't be popular. It's far easier to point the finger at
alleged speed crazed motorcyclists and car enthusiasts. And I bet that
we're seeing just the tip of the iceberg, safety zealots are already
talking about putting speed limiters on all vehicles, and calls for photo
radar are coming back as well.
In the meantime, we have to deal with new laws that nearly turns Ontario
into a police state, giving police the discretion that they always wished
they had to charge at will. "Officer discretion is obviously something
that's fundamental to our system of justice," says OPP Chief Supt. Bill
Grodzinski. I understand that, but I also understand that it is unrealistic
to think that all police officers conduct themselves without bias,
prejudice or poor judgment at all times. Therefore, why grant them such
unprecedented powers to seize licenses or vehicles? Last time I checked,
our justice system is also based on a court system that is assigned the
task of administrating justice in an objective and fair manner. Has this
been replaced?
Being a bit of a gear head, I've often heard stories from fellow
enthusiasts of exuberant police officers who harass them without proper
cause. My instinct was always to write off such claims as half-truths, even
though I've had my share of experiences of being pulled over for no good
reason other then "routine" checks. However, a recent incident with one of
Peel's finest has made me a believer, as I thought I was either going to be
assaulted or arrested for having the nerve to shake my head at an officer
for blocking traffic unnecessarily. The existing formal complaints process
for such matters left me exasperated; instead I was informed by this
officer's Staff Sergeant that he is actually a "model" constable. Well,
even though I'm a "model" citizen; never unemployed, always pay my taxes,
don't have a criminal record, never even had a demerit point.... next time
I won't even bother complaining.
This past Thanksgiving weekend, I've already witnessed this law in
practice. I noticed a new radar trap on one of the nearby lonely country
roads where the speed inexplicably reduces to 50km/h from 80km/h. I bet the
85th percentile speed is near 100km/h on that road, so I wonder how many of
the 300+ vehicles they impounded were caught in this manner instead of the
sensational stories we always hear in the media. Or worse, can you imagine
loosing your license, your vehicle and paying out thousands of dollars in
costs for squealing your tires around a corner, or leaning off a motorcycle
seat? I must have missed the cataclysmic tire squealing death and
dismemberment stories that necessitated this law's severity. All I know is
that I'm skipping the next group ride, lest it be misconstrued as racing at
an officer's discretion!
With over 300 cars impounded to date since the recent introduction of the
new "anti-aggressive driving" law, that's over $600,000 in fines alone in
Premier McGuinty's bottomless pockets with no end in site. One might think
that's great, all in the name of safer roads right? Think again.
Fact is, there is no proof that aggressive driving has been an escalating
problem in Ontario. In fact, the available statistics clearly indicate that
Ontario continues to have the safest roads in Canada and is among the
safest in North America. This trend is despite seeing the number of
licensed drivers on Ontario's roads increase by more than 22% in the past
10 years.
So this naturally begs the question, why implement these new laws that are
by far the most severe in Canada, in the safest province in Canada? Where's
the connection?
Allow me suggest that there isn't one. In the end, this is nothing but a
case of a government trying to create the illusion of being tough on some
sort of new and reckless street racing subculture. However, in the real
world, the facts paint a different picture. A recent study by the Virginia
Tech Transportation Institute concluded that in 80 per cent of crashes, the
driver was distracted in the three seconds prior to the accident. As a
motorcyclist, this is no surprise. I lost count of how many times some
motorist, usually in an oversized SUV, has crept into my lane by a driver
who's was either applying make-up, or eating, or reading, or talking on
their cell-phone, or any number of things. This is nothing new, experts
everywhere have always agreed that the vast majority of road "accidents"
are preventable.
But why attack the real root of our traffic problems when it so much more
exiting to sensationalize the issue? There's been no shortage of media
coverage on the alleged street racing incident from this past weekend that
tragically claimed two innocent lives, yet many more people have since died
on our roads due to other types of preventable accidents. Where is the
coverage of those? Fact is, on an average day on Ontario roads, over 2
people still die and over 200 are seriously injured. What is being done
about the more common causes of problems on our roads?
We can start by outlawing cell phone use in Ontario as many countries have.
We can have police come out of their radar traps and start patrolling the
streets and stopping everyday drivers who aren't focused on the task at
hand. There are so many things that we can do, but the problem is many of
these solutions wouldn't be popular. It's far easier to point the finger at
alleged speed crazed motorcyclists and car enthusiasts. And I bet that
we're seeing just the tip of the iceberg, safety zealots are already
talking about putting speed limiters on all vehicles, and calls for photo
radar are coming back as well.
In the meantime, we have to deal with new laws that nearly turns Ontario
into a police state, giving police the discretion that they always wished
they had to charge at will. "Officer discretion is obviously something
that's fundamental to our system of justice," says OPP Chief Supt. Bill
Grodzinski. I understand that, but I also understand that it is unrealistic
to think that all police officers conduct themselves without bias,
prejudice or poor judgment at all times. Therefore, why grant them such
unprecedented powers to seize licenses or vehicles? Last time I checked,
our justice system is also based on a court system that is assigned the
task of administrating justice in an objective and fair manner. Has this
been replaced?
Being a bit of a gear head, I've often heard stories from fellow
enthusiasts of exuberant police officers who harass them without proper
cause. My instinct was always to write off such claims as half-truths, even
though I've had my share of experiences of being pulled over for no good
reason other then "routine" checks. However, a recent incident with one of
Peel's finest has made me a believer, as I thought I was either going to be
assaulted or arrested for having the nerve to shake my head at an officer
for blocking traffic unnecessarily. The existing formal complaints process
for such matters left me exasperated; instead I was informed by this
officer's Staff Sergeant that he is actually a "model" constable. Well,
even though I'm a "model" citizen; never unemployed, always pay my taxes,
don't have a criminal record, never even had a demerit point.... next time
I won't even bother complaining.
This past Thanksgiving weekend, I've already witnessed this law in
practice. I noticed a new radar trap on one of the nearby lonely country
roads where the speed inexplicably reduces to 50km/h from 80km/h. I bet the
85th percentile speed is near 100km/h on that road, so I wonder how many of
the 300+ vehicles they impounded were caught in this manner instead of the
sensational stories we always hear in the media. Or worse, can you imagine
loosing your license, your vehicle and paying out thousands of dollars in
costs for squealing your tires around a corner, or leaning off a motorcycle
seat? I must have missed the cataclysmic tire squealing death and
dismemberment stories that necessitated this law's severity. All I know is
that I'm skipping the next group ride, lest it be misconstrued as racing at
an officer's discretion!
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