News | DrumhellerMail - Page #2467
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Last updateThu, 14 Nov 2024 9pm

What’s holding you back?

Police focusing on seat belts in October

    The Alberta Traffic Safety Plan for October is focusing on occupant restraints and the Drumheller RCMP will be conducting various enforcement activities pertaining to seatbelts.
    Seatbelts are the single most cost effective life saving device to protect occupants in a motor vehicle collision.   
It is the law to buckle up in all seats of the vehicle; otherwise, occupants become a deadly weapon to others in the vehicle.  
 Wearing your seatbelt is a simple action that could make the difference between life and death.  The  use of occupant restraints reduces the likelihood of sustaining an injury and the severity of injury decreases as well.  
    Research and collision investigations show that seatbelts increase the chances of survival in a collision by 50%.  According to Transport Canada, almost 40% of drivers and passengers killed in collisions were not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash.
    It takes seconds to buckle up and a lifetime to make up for a loss.
Facts to Know:
· In Alberta, wearing a seatbelt is required by law.
· In Alberta, the fine for not wearing a seatbelt is $115. Drivers are also responsible for the proper restraint of children under 16.
· Passengers are not exempt from the consequences of fines, injuries or deaths resulting from not wearing a seatbelt.
· Occupants using a restraint reduce the likelihood of sustaining an injury and the severity of injury decreases.
· Seatbelts save about 1000 lives per year in Canada.
· Seat belts distribute the force of a collision evenly to the stronger parts of a person’s body. In a crash, a vehicle travelling 50 kilometres per hour comes to an abrupt stop in 1/100th of a second. At 50 kilometres per hour, an unrestrained person, weighing 80 kilograms (176 pounds), will strike whatever they hit first with a force of 2,785 kilograms (6,215 pounds).
· Airbags only function properly if the occupant is restrained in a proper position by a seat belt. Airbags deploy at an explosive speed and can cause injury if the occupant is not properly positioned. Airbags are a supplemental device.
· Vehicles are designed with an engineered life space, which can withstand the force of most impacts. Seatbelts keep occupants in this space where they are safest.
· In a collision, one unrestrained occupant increases the risk for all occupants in the vehicle. An unrestrained occupant may hit something or someone inside the vehicle; or they may be thrown from their vehicle into another object.
· Child safety restraints are required by law for children under the age of 6 who weigh less than 18 kilograms (40 pounds).
· A child under 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and one year of age is safest in a rear facing child restraint. Be sure to consult the owner’s manual for guidelines.
· Forward facing child restraints should have shoulder straps that originate at or above the shoulders.
· Booster seats are recommended for children under the age of 9, 18 to 36 kilograms (80 pounds) or 145 centimeters (58 inches).
· Without a booster seat, a child is four times more likely to suffer a significant injury.
· Children under the age of 12 are safest in the back seat of a vehicle in proper restraints based on their age, height and weight.


Race of two for Christ the Redeemer board seat

    For the first time since 1998, there is an election for the seat to represent the Drumheller area on the Christ the Redeemer School Division board.
    Paul Andrew has served as trustee for 15 years. He will be seeking his sixth term. He said a lot has changed at the school in this time.
    Not only has he seen seven of his children attend St. Anthony’s School, but also two of his children actually graduated from the school after it began offering senior high school courses.
    During this term as a trustee, he also saw the construction of the new St. Anthony’s School on North Dinosaur Trail.

      

Running for Trustee are Paul Andrew and Mark Chung

    “We have a new principal and some new ideas coming in and enrollment is up,” said Andrew.
    For the first time since 1998 he will have a challenger for his seat.
    Mark Chung was raised in Drumheller and attended St. Anthony’s as a student. Today his daughter is attending Grade 7 at the school.
    He is running to get involved in the direction of the school.
    “It is an ever changing world with education and technology and I want to get involved,” said Chung.
    He said he would like to help build relationships with staff and teachers.
    “Teachers need support to make a better classroom and there are lot of opportunities to do that.  New people on the board and new ideas would help get that through,” said Chung.
    He feels everyone who is running has the best interests of the students at heart.
    “We want the best for the kids at the end of the day. There is nobody on  the board, or wants to get on the board, that doesn’t have that in their gameplan,” said Chung.

Town officials say water is contamination free

    Town officials are giving municipal water a clean bill after receiving complaints from residents that their tap water wasn’t up to snuff.
    Tests on municipal water have shown bacteria and chemical levels to be normal.
    “We’ve done bacteriological testing and the results didn’t indicate any contamination. Other tests, like chlorine, came back good, too,” said Allan Kendrick, Director of Infrastructure Services for the Town of Drumheller.
    The Town routinely sends samples of its water for testing by an independent provincial lab. Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development also tests municipal water on a regular basis.

The Town of Drumheller is sticking by its water after receiving several complaints from residents. Testing has indicated municipal water is free of any bacteriological or chemical contamination and is safe for drinking.

    Kendrick suggested some taste and colour issues could be caused by several factors.
    “We’ve had some temperature issues, because of the heat. When water heats up, it doesn’t hold as much oxygen as usual. There were times when the water wasn’t moving and we flushed the hydrants, so that comes into play as well,” said Kendrick.
    “In Midland, there have been complaints of chlorine, but that might be due to the Munson booster pump, which sends water up to the top part of Midland.”
    Rust coloured water could be a result of old cast iron water pipes.
    “It could be an isolated incident if, for example, there are cast iron pipes. If there is a blister in  the pipe and it pops, you’ll get an orange-tinge to your water for a little bit. It goes away pretty quick,” said Kendrick.
    If water problems persist, Kendrick also cautioned the root of the problem could be the plumbing within the house itself.
    “For example, with hot water, we can’t do anything about that, because it’s likely something to do with the hot water tank,” said Kendrick.
    For the time being, the Town will continue to investigate any complaints.
    “We’re still looking into everything, checking out the comments on Facebook,” said Kendrick. “We’ve answered everything we can and haven’t found anything.”


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