Chief’s Column
Last week, we covered some general precautions for driving during the winter season. The Grafton Police Department would now like to provide some suggestions for driving on snow covered roads. These tips and more can be found at www.aaaexchange.com.
Tips for driving in the snow:
- Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don't try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
- Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, and turning - nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
- The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
- Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
- Don't stop if you can avoid it. There's a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
- Don't power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill as slowly as possible.
- Don't stop going up a hill. There's nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
- Stay home. If you really don't have to go out, don't. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don't tempt fate: If you don't have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.
Anyone with questions for the Chief’s Column may submit them by mail to the Grafton Police Department, 28 Providence Road, Grafton, MA 01519. You may also email your questions or comments to chief@graftonpolice.com. Please include an appropriate subject line, as I do not open suspicious email for obvious reasons.
Normand A. Crepeau, Jr.
Chief of Police
Question:
Over the holiday season, I was driving home from a friend’s house when I noticed a vehicle in front of me being operated in a somewhat strange way. I wasn’t sure if the driver was ill or maybe intoxicated. Is there any information you can provide to help identify a driver who may be intoxicated?
Answer:
To assist motorists in identifying possible drunk drivers, the Grafton Police Department would like to offer the following information provided by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). More information may be found at
www.madd.org.
How to Spot a Drunk Driver
You can help protect your family from drunk drivers by looking for these signs of intoxication among other motorists:
· Quick acceleration or deceleration
· Tailgating
· Weaving or zigzagging across the road
· Driving anywhere other than on a road designated for vehicles
· Almost striking an object, curb, or vehicle
· Stopping without cause or erratic braking
· Drifting in and out of traffic lanes
· Signaling that is inconsistent with driving actions
· Slow response to traffic signals (e.g. sudden stop or delayed start)
· Straddling the center lane marker
· Driving with headlights off at night
· Swerving
· Driving slower than 10 mph below the speed limit
· Turning abruptly or illegally
· Driving into opposing traffic on the wrong side of the road
What to do if you see a drunk driver.
It happens every day. Drunk drivers get on the roads, endangering our friends and loved ones. Sometimes, we witness these drivers on the road, weaving in and out of lanes or traveling down a highway going the wrong direction. Quite often, responsible citizens are left asking themselves—what do I do?
· Stay as far away from the other vehicle as possible.
· Do not try to pass the vehicle or signal the driver to pull over. Doing so could result in a collision.
· Take notice of the license plate number of the driver along with details of the vehicle including make, model and color. However, make sure you don’t compromise your own safety trying to obtain this information.
· Pull over and call 911. Give the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the road or cross streets and the direction the vehicle is traveling. Give a complete description of the vehicle and the manner in which the vehicle is being driven.
Anyone with questions for the Chief’s Column may submit them by mail to the Grafton Police Department, 28 Providence Road, Grafton, MA 01519. You may also email your questions or comments to chief@graftonpolice.com. Please include an appropriate subject line, as I do not open suspicious email for obvious reasons.
Normand A. Crepeau, Jr.
Chief of Police
QUESTION:
What can you tell me about the 9-1-1 system used to make emergency calls to police and fire departments?
ANSWER:
The following information may be found on the State 9-1-1 Department web site at www.mass.gov:
When the 9-1-1 number was inaugurated, it was intended as an easy to remember, no-coin method of reaching the correct law enforcement, fire and EMS agency. A 9-1-1 system is considered either Basic or Enhanced. A Basic 911 system provides three-digit dialing, no coin is required from pay telephones and intelligent routing to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) that handles the area where the phone is located.
Massachusetts has an Enhanced 9-1-1 (E-9-1-1) system for wire line phones. The E-9-1-1 system automatically displays the address of the emergency caller and the telephone number at that location on a screen at the 9-1-1 Communications Center. The department that first receives the emergency call is called a primary (PSAP). When calling 9-1-1 from your home phone, your call will go directly to the appropriate PSAP and they will be able to send an emergency response based on the information they received.
Cellular phones are often used in emergency situations. All wireless 9-1-1 calls are currently routed to one of 3 Massachusetts State Police communication centers. Then, depending on the location and nature of the call, the caller will be transferred to the local 9-1-1 center for further assistance.
The following describes the Do's and Don’ts of 9-1-1:
Dial 9-1-1 only for an emergency. An emergency includes any serious medical problem, any type of fire, or any life-threatening situation including traffic accidents, fights, etc. Citizens should also use 9-1-1 to report crimes in progress, whether or not a life is threatened.
Do not dial 9-1-1 for non-emergency situations. Instead, dial the Grafton Police Department’s non-emergency telephone number (508-839-5343). A non-emergency situation includes minor crimes that have been committed and the suspect is gone, reporting illegally parked cars, etc. Other non-emergency situations include getting directions, making personal notifications, looking up phone numbers, school closings, requesting parade or other event times and locations, weather reports or road conditions.
If you dialed 9-1-1 in error, do not hang up the telephone. Instead, stay on the line and explain to the dispatcher that you dialed by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. If you hang up, a dispatcher will call back to confirm that there is no emergency. If you don't answer, a police officer must be dispatched to confirm that you are OK. This will needlessly take resources away from genuine emergencies.
Give your location and briefly describe the type of incident you are reporting. For example, "I'm reporting an auto accident with injuries" or "I'm reporting an unconscious person," or "I'm reporting a house fire." Then stay on the line with the dispatcher and do not hang up until the dispatcher tells you to. In some cases, the dispatcher will keep you on the line while the emergency units are responding to ask additional questions or to obtain on-going information.
Be patient as the dispatcher asks you questions. While you are answering the dispatcher's questions, he/she is entering or writing down the information. If you are reporting an emergency, most likely a response is being made while you are still on the line with the dispatcher.
Listen to the dispatcher's instructions for assistance if you are in danger yourself. The dispatcher may tell you to leave the building, secure yourself in a room or take other action to protect yourself. Don't hang up until the call-taker tells you to. Follow any instructions the dispatcher gives you, such as meeting the officers at the door, or flagging down the firefighters at the curb. Stay calm, speak clearly and listen carefully to the call takers questions.
If calling from a cell phone, a State Police PSAP will initially answer your call. You will then be transferred to the correct public safety agency and they will send the appropriate emergency response. Know your location. If uncertain about your location describe any surroundings, landmarks, highway route number, closest exit, or anything that will help emergency personnel locate you. Be prepared to give specific directions to your location if possible. Remember, the approximate location the 9-1-1 center receives could be as large as 3 football fields or more.
Anyone with questions for the Chief’s Column may submit them by mail to the Grafton Police Department, 28 Providence Road, Grafton, MA 01519. You may also email your questions or comments to chief@graftonpolice.com. Please include an appropriate subject line, as I do not open suspicious email for obvious reasons.
Normand A. Crepeau, Jr.
Chief of Police