Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 04/00) - It only takes one call to a fatal traffic accident for police to take risky driving very seriously.

That is why the Yellowknife RCMP is taking part in an international initiative called Operation Impact.

It will consist of road blocks and traffic checks promoting voluntary compliance on Oct. 7. It will also consist of ticketing.

"All you have to do is stand over a motor vehicle accident where a fatality has occurred, where the fatality is a child and see that it could have been prevented if the child were properly secured," said Yellowknife RCMP Sgt. Alan McCambridge about taking driving safety seriously.

"It's even sadder in a place like Yellowknife where the fire department is very proactive in volunteering to check child safety seats."

The operation will start midnight Friday and go all day Saturday. Road blocks will be mounted in various locations throughout the city and RCMP will be checking for all vehicle safety violations across Canada and in some states.

"If you're driving with no seat belt on Oct. 7 and go through a check stop, you're going to get a ticket," McCambridge added.

RCMP have released statistics that illustrate the importance of an initiative such as this.

Every year, it says, car crashes kill almost 3,000 people and injure 220,000 in Canada. The most effective way to avoid harm is to buckle up but 10 per cent of the population do not wear seat belts. They account for 40 per cent of the thousands killed.

Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death and about 1,100 are killed each year related to drinking and driving.

The initiative is a multi-agency approach.

The GNWT is also involved in making an impact that will drive home the message of safety.