10 Dec 07 London crashes mark record

London drivers have set a dubious record.

Almost 200 of them showed up to the Collision Reporting Centre on Dec. 3. “It was a record,” London traffic Sgt. Tom O’Brien said Dec. 5.

The worst day ever for crashes could get even worse — some people who got into fender-benders Dec. 3 still haven’t gone to the reporting centre, O’Brien said.

About 90 collisions were reported at police headquarters Dec. 3, the start of two days of snow in London.

That was followed by more than 50 collisions Dec. 4 and just under 50 Dec. 5 — even though the snow had stopped falling. “That’s still above normal,” O’Brien said of yesterday’s account.

Don’t blame the weather. Almost all the collisions reported to the centre and police were preventable, O’Brien said.

But every first big snowfall of the year, motorists forget they have to slow down, leave plenty of room in front of them and remain calm . “This is our first full week of winter driving. It always takes a week for our motorists to readjust to winter driving,” O’Brien said.

Equally frustrating: If motorists get a week of nice weather now, they’ll forget winter driving tips again.

The next blast of winter will bring the same mistakes. “It’s silly. It’s ridiculous,” he said.

With more flurries forecast for the weekend, O’Brien wants motorists to fill up on washer fluid and check that their wipers are working.

And slow down.